Hatred is Thicker Than Blood
by I.Dream.Of.Hardyz
Summary: Afterasuddendeath of his father, Shannon Moore learns he has an 18yrold half sister named Coral. He takes her in and expects things to run smoothly...not the case. Coral's a fireball and ready to raise some hell. Includes: Hardys, Shannon, Beth and more.
1. I have a what?

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** I'd like to take a stab at this... I'm not saying who the pairing is, but there is a pairing. This story will feature the following: Shannon Moore, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Beth Britt and more. Enjoy!

_**Summary:**_

Shannon Moore had everything he needed in his life. Good friends, a tattoo shop, enough to get by… a sister? For all of his life, Shannon believed he was an only child. Only, one day when his father passes away, he becomes aware that he has an eighteen-year-old half sister named Coral. Without her father, she is in dire need of someone to love her and Shannon's asked to take her in. He's annoyed and confused, but agrees. Only he doesn't know what a spark Coral is and how her presence is going to make his life (and his friends) a living hell.

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**Chapter One:**

"Is this going to hurt a lot?" The girl looked at Shane with fear in her eyes, lip trembling. Shane turned around and looked at Shannon, unable to figure out why the girl would want a tattoo if she had to wonder if it was going to hurt. "I don't like pain."

"Hunny, it's a tattoo," Shane replied carefully, trying to be nice. "It's going to hurt."

"Well... maybe I shouldn't get it done, then," the girl replied, looking to Shannon. Shannon tried to smile back and then slowly backed away. He rolled his eyes once out of view. He knew the girl only came so she could meet him, not so she could get a tattoo. Fans were nice, but sometimes, they got annoying.

"What's with her?" Tizzie said as Shannon came into the back room where Tizzie was filing papers. "The girl looks like a ghost."

Shannon groaned. "Don't ask."

"Another fan?" she teased. Shannon glared at her and then fell into a seat. It was only about ten in the morning and he was already more drained then being in an hour long wrestling match.

"I need a vacation," he grumbled, rubbing his temple.

Just as Tizzie went to reply, Shannon's cell phone rang. He rolled his eyes again and slowly got up, pulling it from his pocket. With one look at the number, he frowned. "The number is blocked..."

"Answer it?" Tizzie suggested.

Shannon gave her an odd look that said 'duh' and then clicked the _answer_ key. "Ello?" It went silent as a business-like voice on the other line introduced himself. "Yes, I'm Shannon Moore. How can I help you?"

Tizzie stopped working as she watched Shannon begin to pace. His eyebrows were knitted closely together and there was a perplexed expression on his face. "There must be some kind of mistake," he said finally, in a cool voice, "I don't have a sister."

Tizzie struggled to hear the other line. "Father… died… eighteen…"

"Whoa, whoa, wait. Did you just say my father died?" Shannon asked loudly while he stopped dead in his tracks. There was a momentary pause on the line before a soft _yes_ was answered. "When?"

Tizzie was shocked to see Shannon's face drain paler than usual as he sat back down and put his free hand to his head. As he listened to the other voice, he looked around the room, all around, except he didn't look at his employee. "Are you sure she's related to me?" he asked after what seemed to be a very long silence. "Oh… okay, um… well yes, call me when you know more information. Yes, I'll be available… thank you, have a good day."

Shannon hung up the phone, putting it down onto the desk next to him. Then he looked up to Tizzie and whispered, "My father got in a car accident yesterday… he… he didn't make it."

"Oh, Shannon," Tizzie replied, voice full of sympathy. "I'm so sorry!"

"That's not all," Shannon whispered, his eyes growing confused again. "The man on the other line told me that he'd like me to take in my sister. I don't have a sister… well; I didn't think I had a sister… I'm… was an only child." He stared at the wall beside him, unable to grasp what he was told only moments before.

"Are you sure it's not some mistake?"

"No… they don't believe so. They're trying to get in contact with her mother, who ran off sometime in the last few years…" Shannon stood up, looking out into the main shop. The girl who was afraid of pain was gone. Shane came up beside them, looking confused himself. "They told me her name is Coral… Coral Moore."

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**A/N: I have a good feeling about this story. :) So yeah, first chapter is short, but they will get longer. Oh and for those who don't know Shane and Tizzie work at Gas Chamber Ink. Read and review!**


	2. It's gonna be a long day

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** UGH. I feel like shit. Got an x-ray and blood work taken today... long story. But I have an update. Thanks to those who have reviewed, read, etc. Keep it comin'! :) And enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Two**:

"Shannon!" Beth Britt groaned as he walked into Matt's house, again without knocking. He ignored her scold and continued into the livingroom, flopping on the couch without looking up to the agitated Beth. "They're not here yet. They won't be for a couple hours."

"I'll wait," Shannon replied tonelessly.

Beth looked at him for a moment, studying the male blonde with a curious expression. "What's gotten up your ass, Shan?" she asked tauntingly, leaning against the couch he sat on. Just as she went to swat at him, little Lucas came jogging in, wagging his tail and yipping.

"I don't want to talk about it yet. Wait until Matt and Jeff are back."

"What happened?" Beth demanded now, sitting down next to him, her teasing on. "Did something happen at the shop?"

"You can say that."

"Were you robbed? Did something—"

"No, Beth. Again, I'm not talking about it until they get back. Please," he pleaded, green eyes bleeding into her brown ones. She stared into them for a moment, before politely getting up and heading into the kitchen. Even though she respected his plea, Beth couldn't help but stare from the kitchen, watching Shannon stare into space without much emotion on his face. He looked zombie-like, as if someone had tore the part of his brain that included his personality out.

She sighed, sitting down. Why couldn't Matt and Jeff get back quicker? She was used to Shannon Moore walking into Matt's house without knocking (because he did on a frequent basis and nearly scared the shit out of her each time) but never before did he do so without a smile on his boyish features.

"Shan—" she started, but stopped herself. What was she going to ask him? He already said he wasn't going to tell her. Beth slumped to the back of the seat in defeat, unable to figure out his problem. Only could she wait for her boyfriend and Matt to return, in hopes to learn whatever was bothering Shannon.

-

"Honey, I'm home!" called a familiar voice, one that belonged to Matt Hardy. He came bounding into the kitchen (without a look to where Shannon sat) and dropped his gym bag on the floor. Jeff came in after him, a bit quieter than his elder. Matt grinned as Beth rolled her eyes.

"How was the trip home?" she asked coolly.

"Long," Jeff replied, sitting down in the seat next to her, kissing her cheek.

"Glad to be home?"

Jeff nodded eagerly. "Very."

"Well, I hate to break it to you guys, but we've got a small problem."

Matt eyed Beth as she pointed beyond her. "Shannon's in a funk of some sort. Wouldn't tell me why and said he was waiting for you fools to come home."

"Shannon's here?" Jeff asked, turning around. "Shit… I didn't even see him."

"He's quiet," Matt agreed. "Yo, Shan, what's up?"

Shannon didn't budge when Matt called him. This confused Matt and he looked at Beth for an answer. "Don't look at me," she replied defensively. "He was like this when he got here. Won't say anything."

"Weird," Matt mumbled, walking into the livingroom. "Yo, reject. What's going on, man?"

Shannon peered up. "Nothin'," he grumbled.

Jeff shot a look at Beth, who only shrugged. "I told you."

Matt looked at Shannon again, eyes narrowed. "Man… what's the matter?" he tried again.

Shannon stood up, not looking Matt in the eye as he walked into the kitchen and leaned against a counter. "Something happened at work today. Somethin' fucked up."

"Doesn't something fucked up happen everyday there?" Jeff joked.

Shannon shot him a death glare. "I'm being serious."

"Sorry," Jeff grumbled. "Are you at least gonna fucking tell us? Shit, man."

"Yeah. I got a call today from a social worker in Georgia."

"Is she hot?" Matt asked curiously.

Beth groaned. "Stupid ass."

"No, she called to tell me that my father died in a car accident yesterday."

Almost immediately, everyone began to apologize and talk at once. It took a moment for Beth to calm everyone down; noticing Shannon seemed to be holding more than that in. "Shannon?" Beth asked carefully. "Is that all?"

"They told me I had a sister."

"What?" Matt asked with a laugh. "Stop shitting us, man. You're an only child."

"Not according to this fucking lady! She told me that we share the same father. They're trying to find her mother, to make sure it's not some crazy mistake. I don't know what the fuck is going on."

"Wait, wait," Jeff said, looking up. "How old is this _sister_?"

"Eighteen."

"What would mean…?"

Shannon nodded. "If she's truly my fucking sister, my father fucking cheated on my mother."

Matt peered up then. "Wasn't that around the time your parents started to have problems?"

Shannon nodded again. "I feel so fucking fucked. I have a sister I didn't even know existed. My father is dead… God only knows if my fucking mother has any idea of this. Shit, man," Shannon yelled, collapsing into a chair.

"Shannon, look, if there is anything—" Matt started, but Shannon waved him off, nodding. "Ask," he finished. "You know I don't mind helping in any way."

Beth and Jeff were quick to agree. "Us too."

"But wait," Matt started again. "You have a sister. Anything else? Why'd they call you… other to alert you of your father's death?"

"They want me to take her in," Shannon added quietly. "Her name is Coral and she lives in a suburb of Atlanta. She's still in high school so the state doesn't feel comfortable with her living on her own. Figures when she goes to college in the fall that everything will be good. But they want someone to live with her even though she's legal."

"What about her mother?"

"Doesn't give a damn."

"Shit," Beth mumbled. "So…"

"I just don't know," Shannon mumbled too. "I just don't fuckin' know."

--

"Has Shannon heard anything?" Beth asked Jeff the next day, after he'd just gotten off the phone with the reject himself. She leaned against Jeff, who seemed utterly exhausted himself. It worried her when he got like that because she feared he'd start to use again. "Jeff?"

"Not yet. He's going to call the social worker in a few. The woman called him about an hour ago, said they had gotten in touch with her mother, but she wasn't being cooperative so they told him to call back."

"This is so fucked up." Beth leaned onto Jeff more, sighing. "Who just doesn't tell their son that they have a sibling?"

"I don't know," Jeff admitted. "I mean, I've known his dad for years. Nice guy. His parents had an ugly divorce. Haven't seen him in about ten years though."

"Fucked up," Beth repeated. "So fucked up."

"I know… where is Matt?"

"He went to the gym. Said he'd head over to Gas Chamber after to check up on Shannon. He's really fucked up right now. Between loosing his father and the lies it seems he had told before his death… y'know?"

Beth nodded glumly. "Fuc—"

"I know," Jeff said with a laugh, kissing her cheek. Beth blushed. "It's fucked up. I know."

"Well it is," Beth demanded.

--

Matt Hardy drove quickly around North Carolina, exiting the parking lot of his gym. He sighed, wondering if there was any update in Shannon's case. Surely when he got to Gas Chamber Ink, he'd find out. Stopping for a McDonald's shake first, he sipped it quietly as he pulled in from the highway, seeing Shannon's huge ass Hummer first thing. For some reason, he took it as a good sign that Shannon had not fled the state yet in insanity.

He parked his car and got out, ready to hear whatever was new. Only when he stepped through the doors of Gas Chamber, all he heard was Shannon's voice yelling from the back room. Both Shane and Tizzie were seated behind the desk, staring at the room.

"What's going on?" Matt demanded.

Shane answered, "No clue. He's yelling at some woman on the phone."

Matt realized then that he had no idea of what was going on. Without another glance at them he headed toward the back, listening closer, "I don't give a fuck if she's gone to school there all her life! If you want me to take her in, she's coming to North Carolina…"

There was a silence, insinuating that the person on the other line was talking.

"Listen, man. I own a tattoo parlor, I can't just pick up and damn well leave. I know it's hard to leave a school when you've been there your entire life! But I stand no choice here."

Another silence.

"Yes, that's alright. No, I'm sorry. This is all very frustrating," Shannon said in a much calmer voice. "I understand. I mean, this is hard on all of us. Truthfully, my father never even made me aware that I had a sibling."

Silence.

"When is the funeral?" There was sounds of shuffling inside of the room, and the scribbling of pen across a paper. "Okay, I got it. I'll be heading down there… yes. I know, yes. I'll clear my schedule, don't worry about it."

Silence.

"I have space for her, don't worry. I own a pretty big house… no, yes. She can take whatever she wants with her, I don't care. I own a Hummer so space really isn't a problem."

Silence.

"So we'll finish all the details out when I head down there? Okay. Sounds good. Look, I'm sorry for my outburst, like—"

Silence.

"Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Jessup. You too… bye." There was the sound of a phone closing. Then Shannon came out into view, seeing Matt staring. "Don't ask," he grumbled. "Shane, Tizzie?"

Both of the employees shot their heads up quickly. "Yeah?" Shane asked.

"I'm going out for a bit, probably for lunch. Can y'all handle the shop?"

Tizzie smiled. "Of course, Shan. Go ahead, we understand."

He nodded quickly and then turned his attention to Matt. "You coming, man, or not?" Matt nodded quickly as Shannon practically ran to grab his keys and dove out the front door.

Moments later, both Matt and Shannon were in Shannon's hummer. "So…?"

Shannon looked up, eyes soft yet glazed over. "They say the mother is whacked out on cocaine in a hospital and unable to even remember her own name, let alone care for a teenager. I'm her only other living relative they know of. She comes home with me after the funeral... to live with me."

"When is the funeral?" Matt asked calmly, trying to stay rational in a situation that had come about so suddenly. He fiddled with some lint on his shirt, trying to figure out what to say to make Shannon feel better or at least know he wasn't alone in this.

"Two days from now," Shannon replied.

"Do you want me to come with you? I'm not on the road for a few more days. I'll help."

"You don't have to, Matt."

"But I _want_ to, Shan. We're best friends. Let me feel useful," Matt replied again, a bit more of a push to his voice. Truthfully, he knew Shannon couldn't handle this on his own.

"Fine."

Matt nodded, sitting quietly. It was silent as Shannon drove. Matt didn't know where Shannon was headed for _lunch_ but didn't dare interrupt him.

Only, Shannon did. "Shit, man," Shannon moaned, pulling over near a patch of woods. "How the fuck am I going to take care of a teenager?" he asked quietly. "I can barely take care of myself, let alone take in some girl who apparently is my sister I've never met."

"It's going to be okay, Shan."

"No, it's not." Shannon glared out the window, staring into the daylight. It was a beautiful day in North Carolina, even for early January. Only, in everyone involved mind's, it was pouring the rain down.

"Yes, it is. Look, it's not like she's ten or anything. You said yourself she's eighteen. Basically an adult. It'll be like hanging out with—"

"She doesn't even _know_ me, man. I can't imagine what's going through her mind. Going to live with some creep she's never even heard of? She's a chick and a hell of a lot younger than I am!"

Matt was becoming lost for words. He didn't know what to say to Shannon anymore. Instead, he simply hung his head and sighed.

Shannon sighed too and pulled back onto the road.

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**A/N: Hmm, I wonder what will happen next. ;) Ugh... I feel like shit. Hmm, I'll have an update soon. Read and review please!! :)**


	3. Meeting

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Thanks to all those who are review'n. :) It means the world. Enjoy the update, please.

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

On Friday morning, Matt awoke early so he could drive with Shannon down to Atlanta, Georgia. He was exhausted both emotionally and physically, but knew he couldn't back out this. Shannon was desperately in need of a friend and since Jeff was unable to travel (he had a signing hours away), Matt was the only hope. Shannon had been there for him many times in the past, with his mother's death, his break-up with Amy, and a million other tiny circumstances to which one drive to Georgia was surely acceptable on Matt's behalf.

He yawned, pulling a t-shirt and jeans on. By the time the weekend was out, there would be a new face added to the Hardy Crew. Coral Moore… what would she be like? Matt pondered this, picturing a green-eyed girl with blonde hair. Would she have multiple tattoos like Shannon? Or maybe, she inherited something from the maternal side. Maybe she didn't even have blonde hair, or green eyes. Maybe she looked completely opposite of what he expected. He wasn't sure and it bothered him. Though, part of him was relatively excited.

Matt knew she would fit in easily with everyone Shannon knew. Everyone was laid back and chill, very welcoming to people. The only thing Matt feared could stir up trouble was Shannon's career choice, but that would be up to later discussion. All that mattered that weekend was meeting the girl and bringing her to her new home, especially trying to make her feel accepted.

As he headed down the stairs, he tried to push any negative thoughts from his head completely. The day would have to be good… right? "Hey Matt," Beth said, huddled over his coffee machine. Matt himself wasn't much of a coffee feen, but Beth couldn't function without it. "When are you leaving?"

"Probably in twenty minutes or so." He sighed, leaning against the counter. "Big day, you know?"

Beth smiled. "Very. I can't wait to meet her still; it'll be nice to have another girl around here. Lord knows I suffer enough with you assholes."

"No one said you had to," Matt teased back.

Beth stuck out her tongue and took a sip of her coffee, mug held tightly in her arms. "Do you know anything about her? Shannon seems very hush-hush about everything. Won't tell me anything."

Matt shrugged. "Not much either. He's definitely freaked over this shit. I guess he's just worried."

"Do you blame him? Imagine if you find out you have a sibling out of the blue."

There was a quiet moment as Matt pondered it. He couldn't imagine a situation like Shannon's ever coming about in his life. When his mother was alive and well, she and his father loved each other very much and didn't need anyone else. Sure, they weren't the most vocal couple about their love, but it showed through in other ways. Both his parents would only ever love one person. So an unknown sibling didn't seem in the future for Matt or Jeff.

Matt nodded then, even though he couldn't picture it himself. "I guess so. But Shan will handle it. I think he's stronger than he gives himself credit for. And he's fun. Coral and him are going to be fine."

About a half hour later, Matt headed out of his rather large house, a small duffel bag with a change of clothes in it in his hand. He was going to meet Shannon at Gas Chamber.

When he arrived, he found a very anxious Shannon. The blonde's face was paler than the moon, his green eyes dull and dragging with worry. Not only did he have to worry about Coral's arrival, but he had to leave his shop unexpectedly, with a wide variety of business coming in. Ever since Shawn Michaels had gotten a tattoo done there, more business had been coming in.

"Shan, man, relax," Shane was saying. "It'll be fine. We got it here. You can trust us. Plus, it's for two days. We can't destroy the shop that fast… we'd need… oh, a week or so to do that." Shane winked at Shannon, who only glared in return.

"Just make sure to follow procedure and everything—"

"Shannon, dude. We survive when you're traveling for wrestling, don't we?"

Shannon nodded. "I guess you're right."

Shane rolled his eyes and went back to cleaning tools for the next person coming in. "It'll be fine, man. No worries."

Matt finally interrupted. "You ready, Shan? We've got to get on the road if you want to make it there in time." Matt placed a hand on his shoulder, looking at the immense terror on Shannon's face, realization that it was really happening finally dawning on him.

"Sure," he muttered, looking around once more. "Let's go."

-

Most of the trip sat in silence. Both the North Carolinian boys seemed too into their thoughtful statures to talk about anything. Matt wanted to talk, truthfully, but he didn't know what to say. Only two days later and he still had no idea how to help other than to say 'you've got a friend in me'. Hopefully that would be enough.

"Do you think she looks like you?" Matt asked finally, shattering the imaginary wall between them. Shannon shrugged. "I mean, your father's blonde and green-eyed. Maybe she in—"

"I don't know, Matt."

"What do you know about her?"

"Nothing," he replied bitterly. "I'm taking this girl in and I don't know a damn thing—" Shannon cut off sharply, shaking his head. "Forget it."

"I'm sorry," Matt responded. "I'm just curious."

"Me too," Shannon admitted.

-

The boys arrived in the suburb of Atlanta about an hour later, pulling up to the hotel they'd stay the night in. After checking in, they quickly changed into dark clothing.

Matt sighed, remembering where they were going. With all the excitement (even if it was strange) Matt had forgotten that Shannon's father had passed away. The brunette stared thoughtfully at Shannon as he adjusted his tie and stared at himself in the mirror. "I'm sorry."

Shannon flipped around. "For what?"

"Your father," Matt explained. "I had almost forgotten in all this shit that he's gone."

Shannon nodded, chewing on his lip while pulling an elastic band over his blonde hair. "I haven't thought much about it either, to tell you the truth. I can't get all these possibilities out of my head."

"Possibilities?" Matt asked curiously.

"Yeah. I mean what if she's totally mute or something or can't adjust? I mean, I have to live my life, right? I have a career… I guess I can take time off but—"

"I wouldn't worry about it, man. Just take it a day at a time. But if we don't get out of here now, we're not going to meet her at all," Matt said with a smile. "C'mon, I'll drive."

-

"See anyone that could be her?" Matt whispered as they took a seat in one of the church benches. The social worker was supposed to meet with them after the funeral, but both Shannon and Matt knew Coral was there since Shannon's father was too her father.

"I can't see anyone really. There are too many people."

"How about her?" he asked, pointing to a brunette girl.

Shannon laughed a little. "That's my Aunt Bridget."

"How old is she?" Matt asked in awe.

"Forty-something."

"She's hot," Matt declared.

Even Shannon had to smile that rebellious little grin. "I know. Trust me, when I was five, I had a crush on her. Even as my fuckin' Aunt, the woman is fuckin… shit."

"Damn," Matt agreed.

The ceremony for Shannon's father was short, but very heart-warming. His father had a smile like Shannon's as well as the same type of crude humor. Shannon definitely resembled him in a lot of ways. Matt watched Shannon as his face grew stone-like during the speech about his life – told by his father's boss – and Matt believed Shannon suddenly regretted not having a suitable relationship with him.

But by the time it was time for the actual burial, he seemed at least a little less robotic. He smiled at the family he knew, the distant relatives who you're not even sure you're related to, like your great-aunt-twice-removed from your father's side who smells a little like fish-sticks.

People began to throw roses and other flowers into the moist ground, where the beautiful mahogany casket lied. It was then he saw her. He was so sure, almost positive he had found Coral, his half sister. In fact, there was no other way.

The young girl was dressed in a simple, yet elegant black dress, eyes covered by dark, slim sunglasses. She took a single rose and let it cascade into the ground, eyes locked onto the brown before her. Then the girl looked up – and Shannon wasn't sure since the glasses hid her true face – and stared right at him, face expressionless.

"That's her," he whispered to Matt when he remembered how to talk. "I know it."

Matt was quick to agree. "She does look like you."

Before they could mingle any further and chat about whether or not it was indeed Coral Moore, the girl came over, taking her sunglasses off, revealing the most beautiful set of jade eyes Matt or Shannon had ever set their own on. She stared at Shannon dead on and walked straight up to him.

And in a raspy, tearful voice she asked, "Are you Shannon?"

Shannon was lost for words. A whirlpool of emotions surged through him at her fragile appearance. It was clear they were related. The girl looked so much like Shannon it wasn't even funny. He stuttered over a reply for a moment, trying to remember how to talk as she continued to gaze emotionlessly. "Yeah," he finally spat out, "I'm Shannon."

The girl nodded. "I'm Coral. Your sister."

Matt stared at the girl too, mystified by her hippie-like appearance. She acted as if he was not next to Shannon, her eyes still very so intent on Shannon's shocked ones. "Coral," Shannon repeated slowly. "My sister… whoa."

Coral smiled slightly. "Um…"

"Sorry," Shannon apologized quickly, shaking his head and closing his eyes. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Coral didn't reply. She only nodded once and walked off into the distance toward what seemed to be a family friend, or maybe even someone they were both related to. Nothing was sure anymore, nothing at all.

"Did I say something wrong?" Shannon asked quietly.

"No," Matt replied. "It's just gonna take time."

* * *

**A/N: What's Coral's problem? Hmm. OH, I put a picture of her up on my profile under my stories list. Check it outt!! :) Read and review please!! :)**


	4. She can't be related to him

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews! I'm really getting into this story, so I hope y'all are too. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

"She's been asleep for a while now," Matt commented as they drove home the next day, Coral asleep in the backseat, a blanket covering her tiny body. She looked so peaceful, those emerald eyes covered by the ever-so soft lids.

"Yeah, I know."

"Maybe she'll open up more when we get home."

"Don't count on it."

"You really shouldn't be just a pessimist."

"Why not?" Shannon demanded back softly, sick and tired of Matt trying to tell him what was going to happen. Shannon had been in custody of Coral for less than a day and he was already stressed. "She's acting like we don't even exist."

Matt sighed. "She's scared."

"Of what? Do I look like a monster? I'm not any less human than she is. I understand this is hard, it's hard for me too, you know? I just want her to open up some more." Shannon sighed in frustration, smacking his hands onto the steeling wheel. "Is that so hard to ask?"

Matt didn't answer but instead decided to watch Coral sleep again. She was truly a beautiful girl. Her style seemed hippie-boho-grudge, which was an odd combination but it seemed to work on her. In fact, she looked amazing in what she wore. Her eyes sparkled brighter than the stars in an open field and the color was magnificent. It was hard to see them though because Coral refused to even look at them… but Matt and Shannon both knew she was given the eyes of her paternal side.

"Wake her up."

"Why?"

"We're pulling into a rest stop. She needs to piss now. We aren't stopping until we reach North Carolina."

Matt frowned, rolling his eyes at Shannon's anger. Couldn't he understand Coral's fear? He didn't understand it, of course: he was a lot older and had much more experience than the younger Coral did.

"Coral," Matt whispered, shaking her. She stirred for a moment, opening one alluring eye slowly then closing it when she saw Matt staring back. "We're stopping at a rest area for some food and a bathroom. It's time to get up."

She mumbled something that sounded like "fuck this" to Matt, but he didn't say anymore. He watched her stretch like a cat, her blonde hair in a total bed-head fashion but you wouldn't know it. The girl seemed to be able to pull anything off. And without another glance at one half of the Carolina Crew, she took off toward the bathrooms, her hips swaying.

"She's a pisser," Matt said in a shocked voice. "But I like her."

"She's going to be the death of me," Shannon moaned, slapping the hood of his car. "I can't take this already! I've done nothing to this girl. I don't even _know_ her. My father didn't find it important to not ever pick up the phone to call me I had a little sister. She's eighteen… I missed the first _eighteen_ years of her life, Matt!"

Matt nodded sympathetically and wandered himself toward the large building. "Hey, I'm gonna stop at McDonalds before going to the bathroom. Want anything?"

He sighed, tugging on his ponytail. "Sure. Get me a coffee with a ton of sugar and a little milk. I'm gonna need it." Shannon grumbled the last line before taking off to the men's room himself.

"This is going to be a long day," Matt muttered to himself before too walking toward the massive building where other humans came in and out of.

Inside, Coral sat in the bathroom stall, weeping silently. Around her, winter vacationers mumbled profanities as she sat in there. She knew that some people actually had to use the bathroom, but there was no way she was leaving that stall. Maybe if she stayed in there long enough, the two fucking freaks who dragged her from home would forget about her and she could catch the next train to somewhere fucking else. Who was she kidding? She laughed silently, shaking her head.

"Shit, I need to fucking pee," said a woman with a thick Southern accent.

Coral rolled her eyes and stepped out, wiping her raccoon eyes as she did so. Everyone around looked at her curiously, but she ignored them and stalked out, knowing that her '_brother_' wouldn't leave without her. By the looks of it, he'd be the type to just walk right into the ladies room.

She searched the crowd for one of their faces, but didn't see anyone. _Maybe they did leave_, she thought happily.

Then, she heard him. "Hey, Coral… Coral! Coral, can you hear me?" the dark haired one had been yelling. She rolled her eyes; he looked like a freakin' goof… not of the good kind. "Coral," he breathed when she turned around and he reached her. "Didn't you hear me?"

She stared at him, lips in a thin line and then she managed to shake her head. "No."

It was a cold line that left… Matt? she thought that was his name, speechless. Though, the freak quickly recovered. "Oh, well that's okay. There _are_ a lot of people around," he replied quickly. "I got you a coffee, but it's in the car. Ready to go or are you hungry? If you want anything, I'll pick something up from Mickey D's."

Coral made a face. "I'm a vegetarian and I don't eat fast food." Her voice was husky and it interested Matt so.

"Oh, fine, that's okay. Let's go then."

_Let's go to hell,_ she thought miserably.

Inside of the car, Matt's mind was whirling over the cold shoulder and impression Coral was leaving on his mind. She was acting like a huge bitch, but there was something about her that made him intrigued. Coral was something knew to the group that none of them had experienced before and it would be an interesting ride to see how she would adjust.

"Here's your coffee," he said finally, handing it to her.

She eyed it carefully as Shannon pulled out of the parking lot, a look of pure anger on his face. "What kind is it?"

"Uhm… it's just black coffee. I brought milk and sugar with me though, so you could mix it how you like."

"That's not what I meant, is it decaf?" Coral asked suspiciously.

"No," Matt said slowly, turning to look at Shannon. "I told you she'd want decaf, ass."

Shannon rolled his eyes. "Drink it, Coral. It wasn't cheap."

Coral shrugged herself backward, still staring at the cheap fast-food mug. "I don't think it really matters if it was a dollar or five. You're both rich."

Shannon nearly lost it when she said that, slamming onto the breaks and pulling over. He flipped around as quickly as humanly possible. "What did you say?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"I said you're famous. You have money. Don't you think I was curious to see who I was going to fucking live with?" Coral asked loudly. "I don't want the fucking coffee. It's not like it was his last five dollars or anything. Shit."

Shannon's eyes turned to a darker green, something that only happened when he was extremely pissed. "You spoiled little bit—"

"Its fine," Matt said, quick to stop the fight. "I bought decaf for myself. Do you want that one, Coral? It's black too."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Fine."

Slowly, Shannon rolled around and put his right hand to his temple, while Matt watched quietly. He knew how his friend got when he was angry and didn't know how to calm him down when the problem was still gloating in the backseat.

Only what seemed like ten minutes later, Coral was asleep. Matt watched her for a moment, seeing the empty coffee cup on the floor. _She must have chugged it… _Matt thought, with a shake of his head. Finally, he deemed her asleep and turned to look at the more-calm Shannon. "Shan?"

"What?" he still spat out.

"You can't be mad at her."

"Why not?" Shannon said back, in a more freaky voice. "She's an ungrateful little—"

"She's not. She's just—"

"Stop giving me damn excuses, Matt. The girl damn well insulted you and you're still fucking sticking up for her. She's being a bitch, just like I thought she would. It's not how you act, even a fucked up freak like me knows that. Shit—"

"I'm not condemning what she's doing, Shan. All I'm saying—"

"I don't—"

"Stop interrupting me!" Matt nearly yelled.

"Sorry," Shannon mumbled back.

"Anyway," Matt said with a pissy look of his own. "All I'm saying is give her a break. I know you did too, but she just lost her father. She's younger than you are and by the looks of it, your father was all she ever had. The girl is damaged."

Before Shannon could reply, another voice spoke up. "I'm not fucking damaged, you fucker." Coral happened to wake up, apparently. She glared at the both of them from the back, her eyes narrowed into slits. "And I'd appreciate if you don't fucking talk about me when I'm oh… five inches away? I wasn't asleep, asshole."

Even Matt was taken back by her icy tone. He had thought she was being cold before, but the tone her voice held this time was down right artic. "Sorry…" Matt murmured. "I'm just trying to make amends here—"

"Don't," Coral hissed.

"I guess I won't from now on, if you bothers you."

"Good, because it does."

Upfront, Shannon stayed quiet, but was ready to turn around and slap the young girl's face off. If it hadn't been for his upraising and how he was taught to never hit a woman, Shannon would have… and hard. Because Coral wasn't just being difficult, she was being plain unbelievably separated from what seemed to be Shannon's world. And even if what Matt said was true, it was no excuse, not to Shannon. And he was willing to make that statement out there, no matter how badly it was going to hurt Coral. It wouldn't be in the car, oh no. He wouldn't cause her that kind of embarrassment. _Later,_ Shannon thought as both Matt and Coral stared out the winder. _Definitely later._

* * *

**A/N: Oooh, Coral's a total beyotch! Hmm, what will happen next? I put a picture of her up on my profile under my stories list. Check it outt!! :) Read and review please!! :)**


	5. More than just sibling rivalry

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews! I'm really getting into this story, so I hope y'all are too. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

The group of three arrived in Cameron, North Carolina in the mid-evening that night. Coral was completely silent with the two friends, who both had given up trying to break her shell. She sat in the backseat, arms crossed over her slim frame.

When Shannon pulled up to Matt's house in the middle of nowhere, she asked, "Is _this_ where you live?"

Shannon glared from the backseat. "No. This is Matt's house. We're dropping him off."

She didn't speak again. Matt got out quickly and went to the back for his bags, leaving a very uncomfortable silence in the car and a thick sea of strain in the air.

"And for your information, we're coming back here tomorrow to meet my other best friend and his… wife. They're nice. You may like Beth. She's the only girl you'll probably meet around here that hates me as much as you seem to."

Coral didn't even smile at Shannon's comment. "When do I start school?"

"Tuesday. They wanted to give you two days to settle in. It's a small school. Graduating class is ninety-seven."

"Great," she muttered.

"It's not a bad school," Shannon said lowly. "And I'd appreciate if you could at least try to be civil with me. I'm trying to especially when you're not making it—"

"Why should I?" she demanded back. "I don't want to fucking be here! You didn't want me. So tell me, why shouldn't I be a bitch? Because that's what you think I am! Tell me, Shannon, fucking tell me!"

Only, Shannon didn't have an answer. As she sat heatedly in the backseat, he only shook his head and pulled out of the shoulder and onto the road, fuming as well. _Stupid little bitch. She has no idea how fucking lucky she is! Just wait… oh just wait. She's got it coming._

The drive to the suburbs of Whispering Pines, North Carolina was another silent and heated one. It took Shannon a very large amount of self control not to whip around and throw the girl like a rag-doll by her hair.

When he parked in his driveway, she didn't move. "I live here," Shannon said coldly.

"I'm not a fuckin' retard," she hissed back and stormed out, grabbing a bag from the back of Shannon's Hummer. He watched with disbelief. _If this continues, I'm not going to make it a week without hitting her._

After staring at the girl for a moment, Shannon continued forward and opened the door. Three overly excited dogs bounded out, jumping on Shannon and too on Coral. She shrieked and kicked them. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Shannon yelled as little Dragon skidded into the house, ears down and whimpering. "You don't fucking kick a dog!"

"That's not a dog," Coral growled. "It's a rat."

"Dragon is _not_ a rat," Shannon said back, picking up Hela and pushing Oz inside. "Do not fucking kick my dog."

"Maybe you should have restrained them then." She practically skipped inside, leaving Shannon once again fuming. The girl had a point, he should have restrained the three pups, but his mind was not in the right place when he had left yesterday morning. And by the time he regained his composure again, Coral was no where in sight.

Shannon groaned, tossing her bag (which she left in the middle of the floor) on the couch and set Hela down carefully. "This girl," he muttered. "Coral!"

He went through each room, searching for any sign of the opinionated blonde, but her intense style wasn't anywhere in sight, still. "Coral!" Shannon yelled again. "Where the fuck did you go?"

Finally, he found her in the backyard. She was hunched over, her body shaking as she cried silently. Shannon was quiet as he snuck up on her and tapped her shoulder. The bleary-eyed blonde looked up with disgust and spat, "What do you want?"

"I wanted to know if you were okay."

Coral stood up, dusting her pants off and stared at him. "Why would you even care?" she hissed.

"I _am _your brother," he pointed out.

Coral glared once more and stormed off, yelling behind her, "Yeah, _not_ by any of my choice!"

-

Five minutes later, Shannon realized the girl, no matter how annoying and bitchy, probably wondered where she would be sleeping. Of course, Shannon considered putting her on the floor with the dogs, since she was acting like one, but decided to tell her the truth, even if it meant another stab at him and his newly come-about anger issues.

"Coral," he said, as she sat on the loveseat. She didn't answer. "Fine. I don't want to talk to you anyway. I just wanted to tell you, I am having your room repainted next week, so you can't move in there just yet. For the next couple weeks until everything is settled, your home is either the guestroom, or… _my_ room." The girl didn't move. "Whatever floats your bloat. There are sheets in the closet upstairs, to the right once you're up there. I'm sure you could do a better job at putting them on than I could." With that, he walked away, leaving her staring off into space.

-

The next morning, Shannon awoke early to the smell of breakfast being cooked. The last time he has ever woken up to that was when he married Crystal, back in the early years. He frowned and walked down the steps, seeing Coral with a pan and a carton of eggs. It mystified him since he hardly cooked anything home since he was rarely there. Coolly, he asked, "Where did you get the eggs?"

Coral didn't turn around when he spoke, but her body tensed. "The store."

"_You_ walked to the _store_?" he asked in a stunned tone.

She laughed, a pretty little laugh that was light, like the summer. Shannon had a feeling when she wanted to be nice and play fair, she was a fun person to be around. "Of course not."

"Then how did you get eggs? I don't… I _didn't_ have any eggs in my fridge, Coral."

She laughed maliciously again. "I know that, asshole."

He scowled, leaning against the table, staring at her with wonder. "How did you get the eggs, then, Coral? I don't have a fuckin' chicken in the backyard!"

"Hen," she corrected.

The male was getting livid and again, he got the feeling that he wanted to slap her, slap her harder than he had anyone before. "What-fucking-ever."

"I told you. The store."

"I KNOW THAT!" he yelled, realizing she was enjoying this. _"How_?"

"Your Hummer." Her tone was so light if at any other time, it would have seemed like a normal answer to give someone. But, it wasn't. And Shannon was ready to explode.

"You… you… took _my_ _Hummer_ _without_ asking to the store?" he asked through a set of gritted teeth. Shannon's hands were clamped together and if they hadn't been, they would have been over Coral's neck.

"Yep."

"YOU LITTLE BITCH! Do you even have your fuckin' license? You can't go around driving my car!" he yelled, stomping his foot. The female blonde didn't offer anymore information though, only giggled childishly. He scoffed, pacing now, trying to keep calm. Murder wasn't something he wanted to add to his resume. "Can you even reach the steering wheel?"

The humor only made the tension in the room snap. "Fuck you," she growled, throwing the eggs onto a plate and walking into the livingroom, where her bed from the night before still sat. He laughed seeing the sheets, wondering if Coral thought his guestroom was not up to par or something along those terms. As he stared, he realized he didn't care and walked from room.

-

Two hours later, Shannon had somehow convinced Coral to get inside the same Hummer she had only drove hours before and go to Matt's house. He knew she was going to like this (did she like anything, at all?) and was ready for the meltdown of the year. She stared out the window though, silently as he drove at a considerable rate through the Carolina air.

"Matt has a dog, his name is Lucas. He may jump on you. Please don't kick him," Shannon said in an even-toned voice.

Coral didn't reply, but Shannon was sure he saw her roll those jade pupils.

"Do you at least like the area?"

"No," she said back, emotionless.

"Well, why not?"

"It's not Atlanta."

"No, it's not," Shannon continued, trying to be civil since she wasn't screaming at him yet. "But you may grow to like it."

"I doubt that," she grumbled.

"It is a nice area. Good school and just a nice place." Coral huffed, making Shannon sigh.

"Why are you talking to me anyway?"

"It was too quiet," he admitted sheepishly.

Again, those jade pearls rolled. "Pathetic."

The also green-eyed Shannon clenched his jaw and looked on the road, deciding a conversation with Coral wasn't going to work. Even if he tried to be nice, she came back with something snippy. Shannon didn't care if Matt was even right to the slightest anymore, the girl had no reason to act like this.

They pulled up to Matt's house a few minutes later and Shannon was quick to cut the engine and hop out of the car. Coral took a moment more, as she stared at the red-brick house with curiosity. Then, in her long, floral dress she got out and began to slump after Shannon toward the door.

"Shannon!" Matt said when he answered the door, doing that odd boy handshake ordeal. "Coral," Matt added warmly. "How was your first day in the good ol' NC?"

Coral stared back at him, her lips not even twitching.

Shannon looked apologetic as they were ushered into the house. "Jeff's at the store and Beth's in the shower. So… we've got a bit of a hold up." Matt smiled at Coral, trying to find someway to get her to talk. "Why don't you look around?" he finally suggested. "My house shows a lot about the work I do."

Coral rolled her eyes and took off, not looking back.

"Tough night?" Matt whispered when she was out of earshot.

Shannon nodded solemnly. "She's completely unable to live with." He took a deep breath. "She took my car this morning… _without_ asking and went to get eggs. Can you believe that?"

Matt's eyes widened as they leaned against the counter. "Sucks, man."

"And then last night, she says that if by choice, I wouldn't be her brother, after I _tried_ to be civil. Man, I'm fuckin' trying here, but she just won't even help! I'm lost, man. Fuckin' lost."

"Shit," Matt mumbled. "This is bad."

"Not just a troubled soul now, huh?" Shannon taunted back.

Matt rolled his own brown eyes. "No, she is. She's just fucked, I guess. I can't explain it. Maybe you need to just give her time. Don't talk to her, let her live on her own, basically. Watch over her?"

Shannon shrugged. "If I don't fix this somehow soon, I'm going to either be in jail from killing her, or just completely loose my mind, man." Matt nodded sympathetically. "Ugh."

"Maybe Beth can help," Matt said confidently. "A girl needs a girl in their life. She obviously hasn't had one. Beth is good with the girl talk, trust me on that." Matt made a face that said his statement had a story behind it, one that Shannon didn't know.

"Maybe," Shannon said doubtfully. "But I'm willing to try anything."

* * *

**A/N: So anyone hate Coral yet? I am loving writing her character, fyi. :) She's such a beeyotch... so fun! Read and review please!! :)**


	6. Meeting the Enigma

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Sorry for a bit of a wait. I've been sick and just busy for no reason at all. Enjoy the chapter!! :)

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

Down in the basement, even Coral was shocked to see the game stations and other things Matt owned. There was Pac-man, a full wall of artwork and another full wall of action figures. She touched one, picking it up. One of the men was Matt, in camouflage pants and a black fitted t-shirt. But the man in the same package looked completely different. The actual photo showed him with wild colored hair and sick looking facial hair, as well as a wicked tattoo. Coral was intrigued. She touched the plastic, running her hands across it. Dust came back up at her.

"Could clean done here more often," she mumbled.

When she turned around, she was even more-so shocked to see a life-size cardboard cutout of the same person. They had long, long blue hair that fell onto their white tank top. Parts of the tattoo he had were covered with strange cut up armbands and there was electric blue nail polish on his fingers. She too noticed he had green eyes as well.

"Who are you?" she questioned. "You look much too cool to be related to that stupid fucker upstairs."

Coral couldn't get her eyes off the cutout. With her tiny hands on her hips, she only prayed this was Matt's brother and that she would get to meet him. Because if this was hell, this other person who could be Matt's brother was possibly her one glass of ice water.

As she searched the basement more, she found out it was Matt's brother: Jeff Hardy. She had to laugh – could you have two more different brothers than the Hardy Boyz? Probably not. As she studied some of the artwork, she quickly learned that Jeff took risks and was an artist. The more she learned from the pieces, the more she wanted to know him, the more she wanted to meet him.

Where the hell was he?

"Coral!" the devil said from upstairs. "Please come back to whatever hole you escaped to!"

She rolled her eyes, coming up the stairs. As she did so, there was a female voice that said, "Shannon, you asshole, that's mean!" Girl? She faintly remembered Shannon telling her about a girl named… Beth, was it? Maybe.

"CORAL!" Shannon yelled again.

"I'm right here," she said back, trying to not snap too much.

"Good," he grumbled. "I'd like you to meet Beth. Beth, this is Coral, my sister."

_Not if I had a say in it_, Coral thought. "Hello, sweetie, it's so nice to meet you." Beth was quick to reach around and hug Coral, though she didn't hug back. Beth stepped back awkwardly, though still smiling.

"Hi."

"Where is Jeff?" Beth said suddenly. "He said he'd be gone only for ten minutes!"

"You know Jeff," Matt warned. Beth nodded, she indeed did. With a soft giggle, she rolled her eyes and turned around to look outside.

"He'd better get his ass home soon. He's being damn rude right now."

"Trust me, she doesn't mind," Shannon grumbled, eyes locked on the ground.

Beth looked appalled. "Shannon!"

He put his arms up as Beth whacked him. "Hey! It's not me, fuck off! It's the little bitch to my left!" With a perplexed expression, she looked to Coral who seemingly didn't look too affected by Shannon's harsh words. The spouse of Jeff Hardy looked from one boy to the other, eyes narrowed. "We'll explain," Shannon added, turning to Coral. "Just not now."

Coral rolled her eyes, hands covering her hips.

The front door opened then and the little white terrier mix went off running, yipping the entire way. No one saw Coral make a disgusted face as the younger Hardy brother was heard coming through the house. Quickly though, her flat face brightened knowing the person she actually wanted to meet was just a few feet away.

He came into the kitchen, looking quickly around, eyes stopping on the little group in the corner. "Hey," he said, nodding at everyone. "Why is everyone starin' at me?"

"You're late," Beth said. "We've been waiting for you."

He shrugged. "Sorry, got held up." He turned to Coral then and smiled. "You must be Coral."

She nodded softly. Shannon's eyes narrowed as she stuck out her hand. Even Matt's eyes widened at the approval it seemed. "Yep," she said in a soft voice.

"Jeff," Jeff replied. "Nice to meet you."

"N-nice to meet you too." Jeff smiled at her once more before holding up a bag and mumbling about bringing it upstairs. She watched him as he walked away, red and blue hair in a bun. Her eyes flickered with excitement, unsure how to go about knowing him better. Coral was never one to be shy, but the attractive Jeff Hardy made her want to stumble.

"So, Coral," Beth said, breaking her staring. "Why don't the guys go give you a grand tour of the area? You should see some of the area. It's wonderful."

She shrugged and answered in a curt voice, "Fine."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it was such a short chapter. I could have made it longer but I felt it said more just with what I made it as. Any ideas comin' to y'all? Let me know! Read and review please!! :)**


	7. I'm going to kill her

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Sorry for a bit of a wait. I've been busy as hell, but today is a snow day... YAY! Enjoy the chapter!! :)

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

Fifteen minutes later, Matt, Jeff, Shannon, Beth, and Coral all were walking out back on the land that the Hardy Boys owned. Coral didn't seem too impressed with anything, though. She stood next to Jeff, watching him as he walked. She had never seen someone like him before. She knew the kind of people who were Goth or Hot Topic poster kids but Jeff's wild appearance didn't remind her of that. He seemed so comfortable in who he was and how he acted.

He seemed to love his family very much, an arm over Beth's shoulder as they walked. Jeff's southern accent made her smile too. Though she grew up in the heart of Atlanta, Coral had never had a Southern accent. In fact, she had more of a New York accent. All in all, she was just mystified by everything Jeff.

"Wait until you see Jeff's art," Beth gushed. "It's wonderful. Kind of creepy, but wonderful."

"You're an artist?" Coral asked.

"Yeah."

"But aren't you a wrestler?"

Jeff nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"How do you find the time to do both?"

Jeff shrugged. "I paint and shit when I can. I love being home and I spend the time doing things I love. It does get tough."

Coral nodded slowly as they came up to Jeff's motorcross ramps. "You ride?" Coral asked excitedly. She was getting more and more into Jeff. She had grown up a few minutes from a really old dirt path where her ex and she rode bikes all the time.

"Yeah," Jeff answered with a smile. "Do you?"

"All my life," she breathed out.

Beside them, Shannon and Matt exchanged a look. Why was Coral being nice to Jeff and not anyone else? She practically ignored the other three but was seemingly very into whatever Jeff was saying to her about motorcross.

"This is fucked up," Shannon grumbled. "She's—"

"I know."

"I don't understand," Shannon mumbled.

"Neither do I," Matt agreed as Coral and Jeff went toward the little shack that held his bikes. Coral was talking fast, her hands moving to explain whatever she was saying. The excitement in her eyes astonished them. She never looked happier since she arrived.

"Looks like she's made a friend in Jeff," Beth said, coming beside the other two boys. "She seems to have a lot in common with him."

Shannon nodded, eyes narrowed. "Yeah."

-

Later that night, Coral sat in the livingroom, watching some TV show on MTV. Shannon watched from the kitchen, unsure what to do. He had never really dealt with someone like Coral before. Sure, he had teenage fans and he had other family who could be bitchy, but Coral was a whole new ballgame. She didn't hide it at all that she didn't like Shannon or most of his friends or like where she lived.

"Coral," Shannon tried, coming into the livingroom. "Do you want to order out?"

She didn't look up or reply.

He sighed. "Coral, I said—"

"I heard what you said, asshole."

"Then why didn't you answer me?"

"Because I don't want to," she said simply. "And I don't care what we eat."

"I'm going to order Chinese," he mumbled, shaking his head. As he walked back into the kitchen, he wondered why he even bothered trying to be nice _again_ when all Coral wanted to do was start an argument. Maybe he'd slip some meat into her food tonight when she wasn't looking. Vegetarian or not, Shannon didn't care. He was already much too sick of her attitude.

"Hey," he tried one last time. "I'm going to my tattoo shop tomorrow for a day at work."

Silence.

"You're going to come with me," he explained. "Leaving a child unattended in a house is not allowed here."

"I'm not a child."

"Then stop acting like one," he snapped.

"Stop treating me like one!" she yelled back. "Maybe if you'd just leave me alone I wouldn't have any problems."

"I'm your brother!" Shannon replied angrily. "I'm supposed to be watching after you!"

Coral stood up, eyes narrowed. She took one look at Shannon and turned toward the door, stalking off.

"Where are you going?" Shannon demanded.

"Anywhere you are not!" she replied, opening Shannon's front door and slamming it behind her. Shannon considered going after her, but figured she'd be back soon enough. With that, he turned his back on her and walked out back to let his dogs inside.

* * *

**A/N: Another short chapter, but I have a great idea for the next one, so... yeah. Coral is so fun to write. :D:D LOL. Well... that's it. Read and review and update I shall. :)**


	8. Walking after Midnight

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Sorry for the wait of this chapter. :( Been really busy with school and life. Hopefully, I will be updating more regularly soon enough. Spring Break is coming! Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Eight:**

Shannon sighed as he took a seat, a bowl of Lo Mien in front of him. It had been an hour since Coral had slammed out of his house and he was honestly glad for the silence, as horrible as it sounded. With his dogs surrounding him, he felt fine. _Coral's a big girl; she can take care of herself._

_You dumbass, she doesn't know the area! She's probably lost or hurt. How can you act like you don't care_?

Shannon ignored the second voice. Coral didn't want to be found. She'd rather spend her time miserable and alone than spend time with her brother. Sure, they hadn't known each other, but that wasn't his fault. He had been willing to make amends and bring her into his life. Why couldn't she be a little more understanding? It wasn't only her who had to adjust. Shannon hadn't lived with a woman in years, not counting his dog.

_You know you should go out and look for her. Don't be an asshole, __Shannon__._

Shannon rolled his eyes, flipping on a movie on TNT. He was planning on ignoring that voice. Coral would be fine. She'd come home when she felt like it and then they'd go back to fighting.

_Sure, keep telling yourself that. What if she's hurt?_

"She's not hurt," Shannon chided back to his mind, outloud. "I'm not going after her. She's being a little bitch."

Silence. Shannon sighed, picking up a bottle of beer from the table. With one look at the clock, he took a sip and closed his eyes.

-

When Shannon awoke, he found it to be almost midnight. With a yawn, he stood up, shoving both Hela and Oz off his lap. They grunted as they pranced on the floor, expecting something from their owner. He brushed them off, dragging the dishes he had used into the kitchen.

"Come on babies, potty time," he called out and then heard all three dogs come running. They were outside in seconds. Shannon smirked, looking around him. Had Coral come back yet? He shrugged, not seeing anything on the table touched. Then again, she could have thought he'd poison her… With another sigh, he headed for his stairs, looking in the upper part of the house. Yet by the time the dogs were barking to come in, Shannon had figured out that Coral had not come home.

Even though he wanted to be the ass, he knew he couldn't just go to bed without finding her. Being out at midnight, alone as a female wasn't something anyone should do. "Damn this girl," he growled, closing the back door to his house and grabbing his keys. _At least they're still here, _Shannon thought.

He drove around the neighborhood slowly, looking for any signs of an egotistical teenage rebel, only finding the darkness the night brought in.

Finally, he pulled over and grabbed his phone. It rang twice after he dialed a number before Matt answered. "Shannon?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"What's up, man?" Matt replied. "Going crazy with Coral?"

"No," Shannon snapped back. "Actually, I sort of lost her."

Matt bellowed out a laugh. "What do you mean, you lost her?"

"She sorta stormed out a few hours ago and I let her… she seemed pissed and I didn't want to deal with Hurricane Coral so…"

"So where is she now?"

"Good question."

"You lost your sister?" Matt yelled.

"I just said that!"

"God," Matt replied loudly. "How the fuck do you lose your sister?"

In the background, Shannon heard Jeff ask, "Coral's missing?"

"I don't know," Shannon muttered.

"So what do you want me to do?" Matt asked finally. "You called for a reason, I'm guessing."

"I was wondering if you could help me search…"

"Hey, man, tell him he doesn't need to," Jeff said in the background again. "I think I know where she is."

It went silent on both lines for a moment, before both Matt and Shannon asked, "Where?"

There was a brief, humorless chuckle from Jeff. "You'll see."

-

Five minutes later, Jeff was heading out slowly through the wooded area that joined his and Matt's house, also Jeff's motorcross ramp. With a strong flashlight in tow, he was sure he knew where the missing Coral was. Earlier that day, she had mentioned what a big part motorcross was in her life.

As he came up to the clearing, he saw her. The blonde's back was to him, and she had her arms wrapped around her knees. She seemed to be staring out into the night, on one of the lower dirt ramps.

Slowly, he came closer to her. She didn't hear him as he climbed over a hill and turned the flashlight off. Then, he finally got to her spot, sitting down. If she knew he was there, she didn't acknowledge him.

At last, Jeff spoke, "You know, running away from your problems never helps anything."

Silence.

"Shannon's really not that bad of a guy. He's just… stupid. Maybe if you guys tried to work something out…"

Silence.

"I know why you came here. It's peaceful. I come here too sometimes. I understand."

Silence.

"Look, Coral. I know I don't know you too well, but I'm trying to help here. I don't know what's the matter or how to make you feel better. I know how hard it is to lose a parent, my mother died when I was real young. It sucks."

There was a short breeze and finally, Coral said something, "It's weird," she said softly. "I don't know you either and yet I feel like I've known you forever."

Jeff smiled a little. "Well… that's good."

Coral smiled back at him, turning in his direction. "How'd you know I was here?"

"Like I said, I've come here plenty of times in the past. It helps me think. But running away from Shannon isn't going to help you think, Coral."

"You have no idea," she muttered in response.

Jeff sighed. "He's not bad," he repeated. "You got to give him a chance. He's suddenly got an eighteen-year-old sister who was thrust into his life out of nowhere. He's new—"

"He didn't _need_ to take me in. I'm eighteen. I can technically move in a place on my own. I don't need him."

"Everyone needs someone to love them," Jeff replied softly.

Coral didn't answer.

"Look, why don't I call Shannon back and tell him you're safe and you can stay at Matt's house with Beth and I. We don't mind. We'll make you a guestroom up. How's that sound?"

Coral shrugged. "I don't care."

Jeff sighed, looking away as she stared into the dark night. "Fine."

About ten minutes later, after giving a call to a very anxious reject, Beth was making up a guestroom for Coral. She was seated in Matt's kitchen, sipping some tea, made for her by Jeff. She was cold to everyone but him, which perplexed Matt. He didn't know why. Every time he tried to talk to her, he either got a glare in return or a snapped reply, so he gave up.

Just before she headed to bed though, she pulled Jeff over. "Hey," she whispered. "Thanks."

Jeff smiled, touching her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. If you ever need to talk, I'm here." With that, they parted ways and went to bed.

* * *

**A/N: Interesting? Why does Coral like Jeff, why doesn't she wanna kill him? Well... that's it. Read and review and update I shall. :)**


	9. Like a runaway train

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Updating twice in two days? Oh boy... I'm on a roll. XD Or, not. Whatever. Enjoy the update! :)

* * *

**Chapter Nine:**

The next morning, Shannon drove ferociously to Matt Hardy's house, the only thing focused in his mind; Coral. He wanted to kill her for making him worry. Tell her that what she was doing to him wasn't fair. But why bother when she didn't bother to listen? It infuriated him on so many levels!

Shannon slammed the door as he pulled into Matt's driveway. Without knocking, he crashed into Matt's house, seeing them all scattered in the kitchen. As soon as his voice was heard, Coral looked up, those jade eyes rolling at a rapid speed. "Are you fucking insane?" he screamed, pointing a finger at her chest. "You didn't—"

"Shannon," Jeff said coolly, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "Follow me."

All watched as Jeff led Shannon from the room. Coral sighed, walking off, leaving Matt and Beth staring. "Where is she going?" Matt mused.

"Good question," Beth agreed. "Looks like the basement."

Matt watched as Coral headed down the stairs, not looking back once.

-

When Coral got to the bottom, she breathed a sigh of relief. Never did she want to be alone with those two morons. With Jeff, it was okay, she could deal. But Matt had a way of rambling to make up for a silence, something that irked her to no end. He was always overly eager to make someone feel at home and Coral did not feel at home.

She plainly didn't like Beth. Everything about the older woman bothered her to no end. Maybe it was because she stared at her when she thought the younger Moore wasn't listening. Or maybe it was because she just seemed like she could be a bitch, who knows?

But she was glad to be alone again. The jade-eyed sister to Shannon lurked toward the couch, sitting down quietly. Her eyes wandered over every little detail of Matt's basement. She had to admit: it was nice. Some kind of getaway… and it even had a tanning bed in one corner. _Who has a tanning bed?_

Coral couldn't keep her mind off him though, either. Him being Jeff of course. He had been so nice to her since last night, no longer trying to put reasons in her head. She didn't have to like Shannon if she didn't want to and that made her happy. Jeff just wanted her to feel something was right. He was right to her, a little weird and out there, much like herself. No one back home understood her strange ways, except for her ex-boyfriend Mike, but he was away at a Coke rehab and she couldn't remember the last time she had heard from him, maybe two months.

Jeff seemed to be her only sliver lining in the small area which was Cameron and Whispering Pines. To call that space a small area was definitely an understatement though, it had taken her nearly three hours to reach the Hardy household from Shannon's home.

Yet, she knew that Jeff would be the only thing she could look forward to in North Carolina. It definitely wasn't Atlanta anymore… she was so far from home. When she would start school tomorrow there would be more hell to look forward to. A small school she would be attending, even if it were only for two months. Why did her life have to change like that?

She felt the tears coming on. Why did her father have to die and leave her with nothing? She was perfectly happy in Georgia. Sure, she had no friends, but she didn't need them since she had no enemies either. In Carolina, she had too many enemies: everyone. Why did her father have to die?

Before the eighteen-year-old knew it, she was tossing random objects in many directions. Some crashed into Matt's video games, others just landed on the floor after hitting a wall. Nothing touched the Jeff Hardy Cardboard Cut-out. She aimed at everything else though until two strong, tattooed arms wrapped around her. It was a good thing too, since seconds later, she collapsed, weak from sobbing.

She was met with neon green eyes and a concerned face when she finally opened her tightened eyes. Jeff Hardy sighed, wiping a few tears from her eyes. "What's going on?" he whispered.

She shrugged, averting his gaze. "Nothing."

"She just trashed the place!" Bellowed Matt Hardy.

Jeff glared at his brother. "If you can't keep your big mouth shut, go the fuck upstairs!"

Matt narrowed his eyes at his younger brother, pointing a finger at the crumbled Coral. "I don't give a fuck, Jeff. She just trashed my basement when I've done nothing to ever hurt her. All we've been trying to do is help this damn girl fit in here and she's done but offer a bitch in return! I'm fucking sick of it."

Shannon—who had come down seconds after Matt finished his rant—gasped. "What the…?"

"Matt, unless you want World War three to erupt right now, I suggest you get the fuck away from me," Jeff continued to growl. He didn't want to fight with his brother, but he was granting him no choice. Sure, Coral didn't want to admit it, but he knew she was damaged in so many ways. The tortured look in her eyes and her bitch-like wall proved it true. Shannon's replies and Matt's over-warm attitude was doing nothing to help the poor girl whatsoever.

"Fuck you," Matt snapped and barreled up the stairs.

"What's going on?" Shannon demanded, looking at Jeff who still held Coral. "Why the fuck are you holding my sister?"

Jeff sighed. "Go back upstairs," he replied calmly. "We'll be up in a few."

Shannon oddly didn't object, only nodded. He too knew that Jeff was the only one who had the power to get Coral to listen, to comply. He couldn't figure out why – maybe it was the mutual weirdness – or maybe it was just another one of life's mysteries, but he wasn't going to be the one to object to it.

When Jeff was sure they were alone, he made Coral sit up. Her face was blotchy and tears were still present in her eyes. "What happened?" he asked softly. "Why did you—"

"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped back.

Even Jeff was surprised. She wasn't normally like that with him. "Look, I'm not going to push you, but please, trust me. I know what you're going through. I've been there. I—"

"Just leave me alone," Coral pressed, shoving off his arm. She stood up, ignoring the mess she made and stalked up the stairs, out of the Hardy's backdoor, making her way to the motorcross tracks. Along the way, she picked up a bike that Jeff had been using only an hour before, turned it on and drove quickly toward the tracks.

Coral felt free, like she always did on the bikes. Mike had always taken her biking. She had fallen in love quickly with the sport. Speed was her favorite thing. The faster, the better. A daredevil to the max.

She didn't care when she heard the call of Jeff from behind her, nor did the thought of not having a helmet on enter her head. She picked up her speed, heading for a large bump. And just as she came up for the jump, the bike skidded from behind her, sending her flying in the air.

The last thing she remembered before everything went black was the shrill call of Jeff's voice, pleading for her to stop. It was too late.

* * *

**A/N: Oh no! Coral crashed... what will happen? Read and review and update I shall. :)**


	10. Maybe this isn't working

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** I be updating again?! Man, I am on a roll, aren't I? :) Hehehe. So, this chapter starts some serious drama... enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Ten: **

Jeff Hardy rushed to the side of the fallen Coral, finding her unconscious. He let out a string of profanities, unsure what to do. He was never more glad to see his older brother and Shannon running towards him. "Call for help!" he yelled. "She's unconscious!"

Shannon's eyes widened to saucers at the sight of his younger sister. She looked so mangled on the ground. "What the fuck happened? All I heard was a crash."

"She just… took off before I could stop her. Did some crazy jump and burned."

Shannon began to pace, muttering about how the ghost of his father was going to 'haunt' him for this. Jeff sighed, as Matt dialed for an ambulance. Slowly, her brushed the mangled hair out of her face, keeping one hand on her neck for her pulse. Luckily, it was strong, but it didn't mean she didn't sustain any serious injuries.

"She's one crazy fuck," Matt muttered, kneeling down beside her. "What possessed her to do that?"

"I don't know," Jeff admitted, pushing aside the anger he felt for his brother. "I was just trying to talk to her and for the first time ever, she just ran off and basically gave me the cold shoulder too. I don't get it."

Matt nodded in agreement. "Definitely weird."

"Where is the ambulance?" Shannon whined from beside him. "Shit, man! My sister needs help, she's fucking bleeding."

"Shannon," Jeff tried quietly. "You need to calm down. It's not heavy bleeding and as far as I'm concerned at the moment, it's the least of our worries. You just need—"

"Do not tell me what I need!" Shannon bellowed back, stamping a foot on the ground like a child in a temper tantrum. "That is my sister you are sitting next to and I'm responsible for her safety. I don't know for sure, but I damn well can bet my life on the fact that I was a part of this!" The angry and sorrow in his voice leaked through every pore of the blonde haired North Carolinian. His eyes were bleeding pain and both the Hardys could tell he wished he could help his sister then. "I know she was acting like a bitch… but she didn't deserve this."

"I know," Jeff replied. "But you need to calm down; screaming isn't going to solve anything."

Just as Shannon went to reply, the sound of sirens began to overcome the distance. Matt stood, prepared to meet them. Looking at the mangled body of the younger Moore was getting to him.

"Tell them to hurry," Jeff instructed. "I don't think she should lie here much longer. The ground is cold."

Shannon looked on as medics loaded Coral onto the ambulance, terrified for his sister and what this accident would say about him as a guardian. Would they take her away and stick her in foster care? He couldn't have that. He knew, whatever it took, he would be there for his sister from that day on, no matter how difficult she wanted to be. For some reason, as she was put inside the big white van, he knew this was what he needed, wanted, and had to do.

-

About twenty minutes later, Shannon, Matt, Jeff, and Beth sat in the waiting room, waiting to hear on Coral's condition. Since arriving they had heard nothing, which all considered not good nor bad news. They could only hope that the injuries Coral received were minor.

"This is all my fault," Shannon moaned quietly. "If I hadn't been such an asshole to her, she wouldn't have run off last night."

"It's no one's fault," Jeff countered. "She doesn't want to be here, hate to say. And I believe she's willing to do anything to leave."

"Are you saying that the jump might not have been an accident, that she purposely wiped out?" Beth asked quietly, looking at Jeff with wide eyes.

Jeff shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past her."

"Fuck," Shannon moaned, slamming his hands to his head. As he got up to pace though, a doctor came out.

"Those here for Coral Moore?" he asked.

Shannon nearly collided into the man as he raced up, being slowly followed by Matt, Jeff, and Beth. "Hi," the doctor said, "My name is Dr. Philip Pell and I have just looked over Coral… I am glad to say other than some bruising and cuts, she is perfectly fine. After looking at your report of the accident, I must say I'm very surprised. Why was she riding with no helmet?"

Shannon squirmed. "She was sort of… rebelling, I guess, doctor…"

The doctor nodded. "I see. Well, the blow seemed to knock her out, but as soon as she wakes we'll just make sure nothing else is wrong that we may of missed, yet other than that, she's free to go. This could be truly considered a miracle." Dr. Pell smiled widely. "You can visit her now, if you wish. Just tell the security you're Coral's family and he'll let you behind the doors."

All thanked him and rushed toward the ER rooms. After being let behind the doors by security, they found her room, seeing her lying motionless on the white bed. Many of her cuts and scrapes were cleaned and bandaged, as well as one of the largest gashes on her head.

Shannon shook his head. "What was she thinking?"

"Good question," Matt agreed. "She's very lucky."

Jeff sighed, sitting down nearest her bed, taking her limp hand. "I may just have to kill her myself when she wakes up."

As he said that, her hand tightened around his and slowly her eyes opened. "Why do you want to kill me?" Coral asked weakly, looking around her. At the sight of the others, she scowled.

"I don't know," Shannon replied before Jeff could. "Maybe for nearly killing yourself! Do you know how—?"

As Shannon's voice rose, Jeff cut him off. "What Shannon means is: what were you thinking? Going on the motorcross ramp without a helmet can be dangerous enough, let alone when your upset," Jeff said gently. "You're lucky you didn't get hurt worse."

Even Coral had to grimace. "I have a really bad headache," she admitted.

The younger Hardy boy cracked a small smile, glad to see her functioning somewhat normally. He had given them all quite the scare. "That doesn't surprise me, Coral."

"I want to go home," she said quietly, not looking Shannon in the eye. Jeff and the others had to wonder what she meant by "home" whether it meant North Carolina "home" or her actual home back in Georgia.

Everyone sat in silence as they considered this, until Dr. Pell came in, a wide smile on his face. "I see Coral has awoken! Good afternoon, Ms. Moore. I'm Dr. Pell and I just need to run a few more tests on you to make sure you're okay. Is that alright?"

Coral shrugged, not answering.

"It's fine," Shannon said for her, almost forgetting the promise he made himself back at the Hardy's household. Why did she have to be such a bitch?

The doctor left and came back in with a wheelchair, a nurse at his side, and then they took off, leaving the others in the room. "She's such—"

"I know," Matt replied to Jeff's starting sentence.

"But—"

"This is going to be a very tough time period," Beth observed. "She only will deal with Jeff and she hates you Shannon. Matt… well, I don't know and obviously, she isn't too fond of me either."

"Obviously," Shannon muttered. "We've been over this. Our problem now is how do we keep her from losing her mind or blowing a fuse while keeping ourselves sane?"

"Find her a boyfriend?" Matt suggested.

It went silent, and then Jeff grinned. "You know, that's actually not a bad idea, big brother."

Matt shrugged, grinning himself. "I get 'em."

Beth rolled her eyes. "How do you morons suppose you do that?"

Shannon nodded. "Yeah!"

"We'll figure something out," Jeff nodded. "Or maybe at least get her a friend. Somehow, she's gotta find a reason not to hate this place in it's entirety."

Only, the thing Jeff didn't realize, she already had.

-

Later that night, Coral lied on the couch, a can of soda to her right. She was watching Degrassi, ignoring Shannon's stares. Ever since leaving the hospital, she hadn't spoken at all. All through hand gestures and expressions she had gotten to what she wanted and pleasantly given Shannon the "I hate you" thing perfectly.

As Degrassi cut to a commercial break, Coral sighed. She got up slowly, her body aching from the accident. Shannon was quick to get up. "I can get you whatever you need," he said quickly, somehow hoping she'd take his offer. Coral only rolled her eyes and slowly walked toward the bathroom, ignoring Shannon's pitiful gaze.

When she was finished, Shannon was still waiting. "Go away," she muttered, continuing to ignore him.

"No," Shannon said firmly. "Tell me why you hate me."

"That could be a while."

"I have time."

She scowled, turning away, but Shannon grasped her arm. "Let go of me," she growled, slapping at him.

"No," Shannon snapped back. "Look, this isn't easy for me, which you seem to forget. Why can't you fucking just try to get along with me? I'm trying here. Every time—"

"I said let go of me," she yelled, shoving him with all her might. He staggered, but did not fall. Shannon, too, was surprised as she moved slowly toward the stairs and climbed them.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't know… leave me alone!" Coral snapped again.

Shannon sighed, deciding to agree to her words.

Upstairs, Coral climbed into Shannon's bed. It smelled like him, but it was the only room that had a door, other than her room – which smelled terribly of paint fumes. Then, she pulled out her cell phone, a crumbled piece of paper and dialed the number. It rang twice before the alluring voice answered.

"What happened?" the person sighed.

Coral sniffled. "I need to find someone."

Jeff Hardy was surprised. "Who?"

"My ex-boyfriend."

"Why?" Jeff asked quietly.

"I just need to. Can you come pick me up, please?"

"Coral, it's nearly two in the morning," he whispered. She noticed his voice was sleep-lagged and she could hear Beth talking in the background.

"I don't care," she pleaded. "Please."

There was some soft murmuring, and then Jeff answered, "Alright, I'm on my way. Be ready and please… don't make Shannon lose his mind before I get there?"

"Fine," Coral complied. "Just hurry."

* * *

**A/N: Oooh, the mystery. What will happen? Read and review and update I shall. :)**


	11. Virginia?

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** So, this would have been up last night, but I sorta fell asleep, lol. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Eleven:**

Jeff drove silently through Vass. North Carolina, on his way to Whispering Pines. He truly didn't feel like driving that late at night, but knew if he didn't Coral would stop trusting him and it seemed if he lost her trust, she would completely lose it. He had to keep that trust, no matter what.

He arrived at two-thirty, seeing Coral on the steps. Inside, he could see Shannon peeking out, an angered expression on his face. Slowly, Jeff made his way to the blonde girl. "What happened?" he demanded.

"Nothing," she muttered, standing up. "Just take me out of here."

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened, Coral."

"I don't need help. I need out of his house," she answered bitterly. "Please, Jeff."

Jeff wondered why he had to be her savior suddenly. He felt almost used by her, even though she was showing her weaker, quieter side. He knew how she could be and he knew she was just as guilty in the fights that happened between her and Shannon.

"C'mon," he muttered, waving his hand. "I don't know where you want me to take you."

"Virginia."

Jeff nearly choked on air. "_Virginia__? _Why do you need me to take you to Virginia?"

"My ex-boyfriend is there."

Jeff sighed. "Coral, I can't take you to Virginia."

"Why not?" she asked quietly. "I need—"

"My help has limits," Jeff continued. "I work for the WWE, Coral. I just can't disappear for two days or something. I have to be back on the road tomorrow."

"So take me with you," she offered. "I won't—"

"I can't."

"So drop me off in Virginia along the way."

"Coral—"

"Jeff," she pleaded quietly, fear in her voice. "I need to get to Virginia. I don't care how. I'll walk if I have to. Please."

The agony in her voice was killing him, but his job as a wrestler lurked in his head. "We can't go now," he said finally. "I have a Smackdown taping tomorrow. We can go Wednesday… I'll take off work."

Coral's face lit up. "Really?"

What was he doing? Jeff couldn't believe he was agreeing to the plan at all! Coral couldn't… he shouldn't have agreed. What was he thinking? This girl was just so… ugh. Jeff gave up with his internal fight. "Yes," he sighed. "But until then, you're going to have to deal with Shannon. Until Wednesday because I leave a eight and I need some damn sleep, girl."

Coral nodded. "Okay, fine."

"So go back inside and—"

"Can I stay at Matt's house with Beth?"

"No."

She pouted. "But—"

"If you don't stay," Jeff warned. "I will not take you. It's one day, you deal with it." If he was going to do the crazy deed, the girl was going to listen to him.

Coral nodded again. "Okay… I guess."

"Good girl. Now go back inside and go to sleep. I'll see you on Wednesday."

* * *

**A/N: Wednesday starts some draaaa-maaa! Read and review and update I shall. :)**


	12. Crack open my heart

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** I wanted to wait to put this up... but uh, I can't because I have no self-control, lol. Enjoy! ;)

* * *

**Chapter Twelve:**

Tuesday was a very long day for Coral Moore. While avoiding Shannon like the plague, she found her body still ached wildly from falling off the motorcross bike. Still, she did everything by herself while Shannon watched silently, his eyes glowing annoyance. She liked pissing him off, she liked knowing what she was doing made him angrier everyday.

Getting food was tougher. Shannon made her talk to him in order to survive. It was fully annoying to the younger one, but she knew if she didn't eat, she'd be only more irritable and Coral planned on keeping her promise with Jeff.

"You need to go to school," Shannon said, handing her a plate with two slices of pizza. If it was one thing she had learned over the past few days, it was that Shannon survived on a diet of take-out. How he maintained a healthy diet with his wrestling, she didn't know, nor did she truly care. All she knew was that she didn't mind. Chinese Food and pizza weren't bad things.

"I'll go when I want to."

Shannon scowled. "How do you expect to graduate on time if you miss days?"

"I don't care about graduating."

Another scowl fell onto Shannon's lips. "Do you know how bad this makes me?"

"Do I look like I care?"

Shannon sighed, slapping the table. "Are you trying to make my life hell?"

"Yes." She went to turn, yet faced him once more. "And for once in your life, why don't you realize this isn't all about you." Then, Coral grabbed a soda from Shannon's fridge and stomped her way up the steps, ignoring the yipping from one of Shannon's 'dogs'.

* * *

By Wednesday, she was ready to lose her mind. Shannon and she had been at each other's throat since they'd woken up and Shannon was extra irritable since he was going away for a wrestling show, one to which happened to take a long, complicated route on the road he wasn't familiar with.

He truly couldn't have been gladder, as sad as it sounded to see Jeff's signature car pull up in front of his house. Jeff came up the steps, dressed in a South Pole sweatshirt, eyes determined.

He didn't knock, entered on free-will, much like Shannon liked to do at Matt's. Seeing the two siblings staring off into opposite directions, he sighed. "Can't you two ever get along, just for one day?"

Coral snickered. "You should be happy he still is breathing."

Shannon rolled his eyes. "You should be happy I haven't put a muzzle on you yet."

"Oh yeah?" Coral snapped back. "You should be happy I don't burn those little rats you call dogs in the stove."

"Oh, _nice_ comeback," Shannon said with a snip in his voice. "That one hurt _so_ bad."

"I'm sure," she chided. "You're just mad because you can't think of anything else—"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!" Coral said, standing up, nearing toward Shannon.

He lurked too, jade eyes fueled with anger. "_Enough_!" Jeff yelled, stepping between the two. "This is ridiculous. Coral, get your shit together and bring it out to the car. Shannon, go cool off. You both act like you're five." As both the blonde's headed in opposite directions, Jeff sighed, exhausted. He was glad he didn't have to deal with their arguing twenty-four-seven. Never before had his constant use of hair dye made his hair fall out, but he was sure if he spent more than a half hour in the Moore household, it would fall out from the tension floating in the air.

Seconds later, Coral came bounding down the steps, a suitcase in her hands. It was almost the size of her. "Do you really need all that for a two day trip?" he asked, astonished.

She smiled softly. "I'm a girl."

"You looked like you've packed for five girls," he mumbled, shaking his head. Then, he shook his keys and called out, "We're leaving, Shan!"

He barely heard the muffled reply, "Good… keep her as long as you like!"

With another sigh, Jeff ushered Coral out the door, closing it behind him. He knew he was in for a long week.

* * *

About a half hour later, Jeff and Coral were on the highway, a soft Pearl Jam song playing. It was silent otherwise in the car as Jeff drove, his eyes tense on the road. Coral was looking out her window, her emerald eyes locked on nothing.

"Are you going to tell me why you need to see your ex-boyfriend?" Jeff asked calmly.

Coral tensed. "No."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she said.

"Well, I sort of have to know where to go once we get to Virginia. I can't just magically show up where he is staying, you know."

Coral sighed, rubbing her hands on her jeans. She mumbled something incoherent. When Jeff just stared at her, she rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine," she mumbled. "Destiny's Prayer Rehab Clinic."

Jeff's eyes widened. "Your ex is in rehab…? For what?"

Coral didn't meet Jeff's gaze as he stared at her. For the first time, she felt uncomfortable around him, like he was going to judge her for dating a Coke addict. Little did she know, Jeff was someone who also happened to struggle with drugs in the past.

"He's addicted to Coke. It's sort of why we broke up. It was hard to keep a relationship when he's not allowed to be out of the clinic."

"Is he recovering?"

"I don't know. I haven't heard from him in a while now. I… I-I miss him."

Silence entered the car. "You know," Jeff started quietly, looking back at the road. "I've had some of my own trouble in the past with drugs…"

"You have?" Coral asked, interest in her voice.

He nodded solemnly. "I've been suspended for it twice now. I was especially a mess back when I was in my first stint with WWE. They fired me for it back then and for a while, I was just… I don't know… a mess."

Coral nodded. "Mike had an overdose and he nearly died. I found him just shaking, his eyes rolled back. He wouldn't respond to me either. He started to puke then. Turns out he had mixed the cocaine with pain killers. After they pumped his stomach, I made him promise to go to rehab. I didn't think his parents would send him so far away."

"Rehab is tough," Jeff agreed. "It must be hard for him."

"He hates it. No one there really likes him, but it's for the best. He's a good person when he's clean, but when he's high… it's a completely different story. He's totaled two cars, nearly fell through a second story window…" Coral stopped, tears coming to her eyes. Jeff saw how much Mike meant to her with each word she spoke. He pulled over on the highway, stopping the car. Then he pulled her into a hug, comforting her as she sobbed. "He and my father were the only people who I had… now I'm alone."

"You're _not_ alone. You have me, you have Shannon, you—"

"Shannon doesn't give a damn."

Jeff pulled her off him. "You need to realize he does. He's not used to shit like this. You're putting him on a roller coaster."

She shook her head, making Jeff sigh. "Let's get going. We only have an hour more."

Jeff sighed again, seeing that their conversation was over. Was he ever going to get the girl to open up more, to understand that Shannon didn't hate her? To understand she wasn't alone in North Carolina. As he pulled back out onto the road, he was honestly beginning to doubt it.

* * *

**A/N: I (big heart here) this story. And the plot thickens... READ AND REVIEWWW!! :D**


	13. It's time for a breakout

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Lalala, this is a somewhat short chapter. Six reviews for the last one?! You all rock. ;) Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen:**

Jeff and Coral pulled up to Destiny's Prayer Clinic about forty-five minutes later after going back onto the road. It was a nice building, colored a tan-gray. There were an assortment of perfectly shaped, dark green bushes around the main doors and a few tiny trees. As they slowed to a stop, Coral's eyes glowed with interest, her hand falling onto the window, tracing something Jeff couldn't see.

"Are we going to go in?" he asked quietly, feeling he was disturbing a moment between Coral and whatever she was touching.

Only after looking briefly to him, she nodded and it was barely noticeable. Slowly, she exited the car, looking hypnotized. Jeff followed, dragging after. They walked together, opening the doors gently. Jeff couldn't get over the innocent look in her eyes, compared to the generally devious look.

There was a woman behind a desk as they came in, staring straight at them. One look at Jeff and she immediately raised her eyebrows. He was definitely used to that. "Can I help you?" she asked calmly.

Coral was first to speak. "Yes," she said in a quiet voice. "We'd like to see Mike Bukely, if that's possible."

The woman was quick to object, her narrowed eyes taunting. "You're not allowed to just come in and see someone. At our facility we work hard to keep family and friends out so it doesn't stop the rehabilitation of the patient."

Jeff was ready to intrude at the woman's snappy words, but Coral was quick with a reply. "Ma'am," she said carefully. "We've driven for about six hours and I haven't been able to see him in almost a year. I know it's not permitted but it'd be very appreciated if we could see him, just for a few minutes. My brother has traveled a long way to see his best friend and I'd like to see my boyfriend."

Best friend? Jeff wanted to laugh. She definitely had a way with sweet talking. A sigh escaped the woman's mouth as her dull eyes darted toward a security guard, not too far away. "Ben?" she asked loudly. The man looked up. "Could you come here for a moment?"

Ben came up beside the two and looked at the woman. "What's up, Jen?"

Jeff chuckled at the 'Ben' and 'Jen' rhyming, though no one heard him. "These two want to see a patient, but it wasn't scheduled. They claim they've come a long way and they haven't see him in—"

"Let 'em go in."

"But Ben!"

"Why not?" Ben shook his head, turning to Jeff and Coral. "I personally feel blocking out relatives and friends here is ridiculous. Sure, they shouldn't be around all the time, but I've never seen you too here before… so hell; why not?" Ben smiled pleasantly and looked at Jen again. "Give me the patient's name, I'll bring 'em over."

"Ben, I don't think—"

Ben sighed, shaking his head. "The name?"

"Mike Bukely," Coral said quickly.

"Mike?" Ben asked with surprise. "Uh… okay; follow me."

-

About five minutes later, Ben came out of a room, a smile on his face. "You're in luck," he said happily. "Mike has just finished a group therapy session and will be heading back to his room in a few minutes." Just as Ben stopped talking, there was a high pitched squeal, followed by some antagonizing screams. Jeff could only think someone wasn't cooperating with the "Destiny's Prayer" ways. Ben sighed, saying he'd be right back.

Jeff smiled at Coral as Ben walked away. "Excited?"

Coral's face became pink. "Very, actually."

Even Jeff had to see the happiness in her eyes and was very glad to have taken her as far as Virginia anyway. "It—"

"Coral?" a somewhat deep voice asked, cutting Jeff off. Both of them turned around and immediately the blonde girl ran forward, jumping into the arms of who Jeff presumed was Mike. He swung her around a couple times, making her giggle and then set her down, a wide, happy smile on his face. "What are you doing here? Who is he?"

Coral grinned widely. "That's Jeff. It's a long story."

Jeff watched as Coral's hand intertwined with Mike's. The happiness in her was just blinding. "I'm so glad you're here," Mike whispered. "I've missed you."

When Coral turned around, she had tears in her eyes. "I've missed you too," she answered. "So much."

"Mr. Bukely, I didn't know you were going to have visitors today," came a stern voice. All turned toward it.

Mike smiled. "Uh… neither did I?"

The man frowned heavily as Mike spoke. "You all don't have an appointment?"

Coral shook her head.

"You can't be here then."

"The security guard allowed it," Jeff said, stepping forward. "Besides, we're not staying all that long." Coral frowned as Jeff said this, but said nothing.

"I don't care how long you're staying; I am Mr. Bukely's doctor and I said—"

"Can I speak with you alone for a moment, then?" Jeff asked impatiently, his green eyes darting.

"Sir—"

"My name is Jeff. Jeff Hardy."

"Mr. Hardy," the doctor started, "I don't think—"

"I won't waste your time."

The doctor sighed and nodded. Jeff pulled Coral over quickly. "I'm going to try to get Mike let free just for today. I can't make promises though, so…" Coral grinned, whispering 'thank you' in his ear. "You're welcome," he sighed. As he walked toward the doctor, Jeff muttered, "Girl's gonna give me gray hairs…"

"Now, what is it that you want, Mr. Hardy?" the doctor asked, his tone dead and monotone.

"Look, we've driven a long way and I know how important it is for patients to remain in a rehabilitation center when recovering, but this girl needs Mike… and I think he needs her. Can't you see how happy they both look?"

The doctor shrugged. "It's policy."

"Do you always follow by the rules?" Jeff asked calmly. "I don't. And I really don't think bending this rule just once will do any damage. All I ask is you let us borrow Mike for the day. I'm a thirty-year-old adult; I can take care of them both. I promise nothing will occur—"

"Mr. Hardy, Mike Bukely is a recovering cocaine addict, I'm not sure—"

"I'm aware and I'm not asking for a lot here. People need freedom and I'm not so sure he's getting that here. All I'm asking is for the remainder of the day. You have my promise he will come back just as he is. I'll give you my number, my credit card; I don't care what you need. All I know is that I didn't drive here for five damn hours to—"

"Fine," the doctor nearly yelled.

Jeff smiled. "So we can take him?"

The older man pointed a bony finger to Jeff's chest, eyes narrowed. "If anything happens to that boy, it's on your shoulders. Do you understand that, Mr. Hardy?"

"I do," he replied calmly. The reason that the doctor was trying to keep Mike in, was the exact reason Jeff never wanted to go to rehab for. He knew the freedoms were limited there and how little he'd see his family and he'd do anything to let Mike experience real life again, only for a few hours, if it made Coral happy.

"Fine," the doctor snapped. "Bukely."

Mike's head snapped up. "Yes, sir?"

"You're free to go with Mr. Hardy and the young lady for the day. But I'd like to talk with you first."

As Mike went to talk to the doctor, Coral ran over. "How'd you do it? Why… how… what?"

"Slow down," Jeff chuckled. "I'll explain later. But now, now is a time for fun."

* * *

**A/N: I put a picture of what Mike looks like on my profile, towards the bottom. Uhm... yeah, that's it. No updates tomorrow, it's my birthday and I'm forcing my friends to go see 12 rounds with me. :D Hahaha. READ AND REVIEWWW!! :D**


	14. All your secrets and lies: true colors

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Thanks so much for the reviews on the last chapter. This one is a bit short, but it's to the point. I'm good, folks, I'm good. ;)

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen:**

"You did _what_ for my sister?" Shannon Moore yelled wildly into the phone as Jeff sat in a gas station bathroom. Back in North Carolina, Shannon paced. "A recovering _cocaine _addict, Jeff? Man, what the fuck does she have you on, man?"

"Relax," Jeff replied calmly, running a hand through his hair, while looking in the mirror. "I'm not a moron, man. I've got this under control. Coral knows I trust her and I don't think she'd disrespect that."

"I'm not worried about Ms. Bitch-a-lot, Jeff! I'm worried about that damn drug addict you got with her. What if she's a past user? Did you _ever_ stop to think about that? Even if she isn't, Jeff, addicts, they're unstable; they fuck up at the least bit of freedom, they—"

"Shan," Jeff stopped him. "In case you've forgotten, I know what someone on drugs is like. I don't need you trying to school me on this shit, man. I'm telling you, and trust my judgment, everything will be fine. I'll be home soon with her and they'll both be intact. I'm not an idiot, man."

It was silent on the other line in Carolina. Finally, Shannon sighed, "I just hope you're right."

"I'm right."

"Alright, fine. I'll talk to you soon then, okay? If she does anything sneaky – I don't give a fuck. My hands will be around her neck."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Bye Shannon."

"Bye Jeff."

Jeff exited the gas station bathroom, waving at the person behind the cash register with a smile. He then went back to his car, where Coral and Mike were talking. She had the biggest smile on her face as Mike talked excitedly, using his hands. Jeff had to wonder, though, was he making a mistake? He trusted his own judgment, but Shannon's words wavered in his mind. What if?

-

Two hours later, Jeff found himself at a Virginia amusement park, hounded by fans as Coral and Mike rode the rides and played games. As he signed another autograph, he wondered why he let them convince him into going there. "I'm in hell," he muttered, waving goodbye to a five-year-old girl who looked like she was ready to pass out.

-

Across the amusement park, trouble had a name. Mike was talking behind a bathroom to a dealer, whispering so that Coral couldn't hear from the front of the bathroom.

"How did you get out?" the man asked, slipping some powdered cocaine into his pocket.

"Coral," Mike smiled, leaning against the wall. "She and some fucking creep got me out for the day."

The man laughed. "Good for ya, bro. Just be careful with that shit though. They'll test ya for traces of it back at the place."

Mike shrugged. "Oh, like I care. It's not on me, bro. It's on the rainbow freak. He promised to keep me from—"

"Mike?" a voice asked.

Mike nearly collapsed, seeing Coral coming up behind the bathroom. Her eyes were narrowed as she jogged up, seeing Mike's old dealer. "Coral—"

"What is this?" she asked lowly, pointing at Pedro – the dealer. "What are you doing?" Mike didn't answer, yet looked to the floor. "I try to help you, _help _you and Jeff even gets you out for one day and this is how you repay him? _Repay me_?" she cried, shoving him into the wall.

"Coral, please, let me—"

"NO! You damn prick! You're not better than that trash on the floor. I trusted you! How could you do that? You were all I had left. I don't have—"

"Coral, shh," Mike whispered. "You'll get us caught and we'll all be going to jail."

Coral abruptly stopped wailing and crossed her arms. She pulled the cocaine from his pocket and shoved it into his face. Then, in a hoarse, quiet voice, "If this is how you want to live your life, then by all means, go ahead. Just – just don't expect me to stick around anymore. I loved you Mike, I still love you. You gave me some of the best times of my life. But this – this life – I can't have. I don't want to go back to this, so if you do, go right ahead, but you're going to live it alone. I'm done."

Coral then went to leave. Pedro said, "Damn, you got a bitch there, bro."

She stopped, turning back around. Coral slapped Pedro on the face and smiled sweetly. "I've always wanted to do that to you," she said sweetly as he rubbed it and then, with her sneaker heel in the dirt – stomped away.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry again, for the wait. I think I love this chapter. Coral has a heart! Who knew? And Mike... how will Mike tie in later? Lalala. Okay, READ AND REVIEW AND UPDATE I SHALL!!**


	15. Hear me: you've gotta be out there

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews! Bam! Bam! Bam! Enjoy the chapter! ;)

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen:**

He heard her crying somewhere near. As crazy as it sounded, Jeff already knew the sound of Coral's cries. The way she sniffled every few seconds, hiccups ever-so present, yet, he couldn't find her. He looked all over, as the cries got louder and softer, but couldn't find her. Finally, he gave up, thinking maybe it wasn't Coral.

-

Twenty minutes later, Mike went off in search of Coral. He wasn't sure if she'd rat him out to Jeff. If she happened to, he knew he was in deep shit. Jeff was a wrestler and even if he thought Jeff was just a freak, Mike also knew Jeff could kick his ass… in ten different moves.

"Coral," he sighed happily, finding her scrunched up behind the Haunted House. "Coral," he tried again as she cried, ignoring him. "Coral, listen to me. Damn it!"

"Go to hell," she cried, shoving at him.

"Coral," he pleaded. "We can't go back to Jeff like this. Don't you think he's going to know if we're not talking? _He'll _get in trouble if you rat me out, too. We need to act as if everything is normal." _Not that I give a damn about what happens to Jeff, I love Coral, _Mike thought.

She peered up, green eyes quick to hypnotize Mike. "Fine," she said coldly, grabbing him by his pale arm. She proceeded to wipe her eyes on her other arm, shaking her head so her hair disclosed her eyes. As they walked to where Coral saw Jeff, she put on a false smile, pretending to laugh. "Oh Mike," she said happily.

Jeff, who had been so sure about her crying, was pleasantly surprised to see the duo happy and laughing. "There y'all are," he mumbled, "It's time to go back to the clinic. I don't need those assholes harassing me."

Coral nodded. "Fine."

_Fine_? Jeff thought. _Why is she agreeing? She told me how much she loved Mike… _"Okay," Jeff said. "Sorry man."

Mike shrugged. "Whatever."

The trio walked together to the parking lot, both Coral and Mike quiet. Jeff knew something was wrong and couldn't help but wonder if Shannon was right. Had something happened? Should he have trusted them enough to go it alone? What if – cut the what if. Jeff had to trust them.

He unlocked his car and pulled out a cigarette as Mike and Coral climbed in. He showed them it and motioned for a few minutes. Inside the car, Coral found this time to be good to discuss what she was going to do. "I'm not talking to you ever again once we get back to—"

"Coral, please—"

"I'm not giving you a damn chance to explain," she snapped, shoving his body off her. "I don't care what Pedro was there for. Actually, I don't even really want to remember him. He's a filthy cockroach who bottom feeds off losers like you."

"Coral—"

"Infact," Coral snapped, ignoring him as Jeff came up beside her door. "Why don't you just get a taste of how bad it hurts to see the one you love get trashed?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?" Mike demanded.

She ignored his question, but opened the door to her side. She stepped out, looking at Mike with intense eyes as she grabbed Jeff by the cuff of his shirt collar, pulling him close to her. Then, as he looked mighty confused, she pressed her lips to his, forcing him to kiss her back. Revenge was sweet as Mike's face fell to agony. She knew Mike loved her, even if his love for drugs was more. She knew that he didn't like Jeff and when you add the two together, she knew she had made a deadly combination. As Jeff pushed her off him, she sat back in her seat, giving Mike one more heavy glare.

Jeff mouthed, "Later" at her, with a stern eye. He wasn't about to start asking questions then.

She smiled sweetly. "Sure."

And as Jeff slipped his seatbelt on, she whispered in Mike's ear, "How did that feel?"

Little did she know, Mike had already done something that would change it all.

-

A half hour later, they were all seated outside of the clinic. Mike wouldn't look anyone in the eye as he got out of the car and walked forward. Coral and Jeff followed, both quiet. Jeff had no idea why Coral kissed him, nor was he sure he wanted to know, but he knew the questions had to wait.

She, on the other hand, was getting pretty mad. Mike wasn't raging, like she would have hoped. He seemed almost at peace. Of course, she also couldn't help but think how soft Jeff's lips were and how the slight taste of cigarettes turned her on.

"Did you have a good day?" Ben, the security guard asked as Mike and the other two came inside. Mike nodded glumly and waved at Jen, who was glaring at Jeff and Coral. He then started to walk toward his room, not looking back.

Jeff knew something was up. "Is that all?" he asked Jen. "Do I need to sign anything or—"

"Just leave your number, just in case."

"I gave it to the doctor."

"Oh, okay, then fine, go," she replied, waving her hand. She added quietly, "Don't come back."

Outside, Jeff was quick to stop Coral. She had other plans though, seeing Mike watching out the window. The sister of Shannon's smiled slyly, pushing Jeff against the wall and kissing him fiercely. Mike watched, his eyes widening as Jeff happened to kiss her back. Then, with one angered motion, he slammed his blind shut and fell onto his bed.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Jeff yelled, shoving Coral off him.

"Revenge," she mumbled quietly.

"Revenge?" Jeff asked, following after her. Coral was already ten feet ahead, jogging toward Jeff's car. Jeff was utterly confused by her actions, more so worried that he had just unwilling cheated on Beth.

"I don't want to talk about it," Coral yelled back, starting to run then. She was sobbing at that point, unsure herself why she had done that to Mike. As much as she hated him for what he had done to her that day, she still loved him so much more. Seeing that it got no response in her eyes was killing her.

"We're talking about it," Jeff said as he caught up, grabbing her arm. "Once, okay, whatever. You just kissed me _twice_. What does this have to do with Mike?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Coral. Damn it, don't lie to me!"

Coral avoided his gaze, tears flying down her face. "I don't want to _talk about it_," she growled.

Jeff sighed, shaking his head. "Get in the car." With that, they got in and drove for the hotel.

* * *

**A/N: Hehehe. I'm eviiiiil. Okay, so what do you think? Lalala. Okay, READ AND REVIEW AND UPDATE I SHALL!!**


	16. It all falls down

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews! Bam! Bam! Bam! Enjoy the chapter! ;)

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen:**

As they drove, even Coral had to wonder why Jeff was driving so fast, his already intense eyes more focused on the road. She wanted to speak up, say anything to get him to calm down, but she knew the only way for that to happen was for her to explain. Of course, she didn't want to explain. Explaining meant telling the truth and telling the truth was too dangerous as it could get Jeff into trouble with the clinic. It seemed if Mike had already got the cocaine in his system, she was avoiding the inevitable, but if that meant Jeff wouldn't know for a few more days, then so be it.

"Can you slow down?" she had to ask quietly.

Jeff didn't more. "No."

The words might as well have been venom to Coral. She had to cringe – Jeff when he was mad was scary, scarier than she would have originally thought. Her green eyes flashed between the road and Jeff's similar eyes, wondering how to get him to slow down.

"Can you _please_ slow down?" she pleaded again, going to touch his hand.

Coral had never seen someone more so fast. His hand was a blur as it came off the steering wheel and into the window, making a loud sound in protest. He looked once at her and nearly dove the car into the curb. "Happy?" he snarled.

"What is wrong with you?" Coral yelled, slapping the headboard with both hands. "Why don't you just stop short on the highway? It would have killed us quicker."

"What's wrong with me?" Jeff laughed, toying with a piece of lint on his shirt. Bitter words flowed in the air like magic. "Do not even ask that, Coral. Damn it, what the fuck is wrong with you? You tell me you won't tell me why you kissed me and then you ask what is wrong with me? You make less sense than… than—"

"I can't tell you." For the first time in a while, Jeff saw the vulnerability in her eyes, watching as they misted over. He put the car in park and turned it off, prepared to make his attention fully on her.

"Coral, you need to talk to me. I know this has to do something with Mike. Is he not the same person anymore or something? I need to understand what is going on. If he isn't, it's not your fault, its rehab. Rehab helps a lot of people, but it can change them too. He might be different now, but you know. It's just a thing of life. You can't help that."

Coral shook her head, snickering. "It's the opposite."

Jeff was bewildered by her comment, unsure by what she meant. "Okay, you lost me. What?"

She turned to body to look him in the eye, the tears pooling over. The Moore was quick to rub them away, also smearing her black eyeliner, but Jeff wasn't going to point that out right then. Instead, he took her hand and smiled, offering her a plea to continue. "It's just… I can't tell you."

A frown fell onto Jeff's face. How was he ever going to get to the girl? Jeff shifted in his seat and glanced briefly out the window. Rain had begun to fall. Then, he turned back to her and said in a low voice, "Coral, if something is wrong, I hope you do tell me. Did something happen today?"

One swift, brief nod came from her face. "Yeah."

"What?" Jeff asked gently.

Her jaw twitched as she looked up carefully, the green eyes of the duo locking like a door. She opened her mouth slowly and then shut it again. Just as Jeff thought she was going to shut him out again, she whispered, "He is the same person. He… hasn't changed."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, rehab isn't working."

"He wants to go back—"

"Already happened," she muttered bitterly. "He… he… I caught him behind the bathroom with his old dealer. I found cocaine in his pocket. I told him I wanted him out of my life. I figured making him jealous would get him to feel guilty, I just—"

"WHAT?" Jeff roared. "Shit, Coral, has he already—"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I don't know if he's already done it. I don't know if he will. I just… I thought he would be different, you know? I really thought maybe he was going to take this to heart and see he doesn't need this in his life. That the people who love him in his life are more important than the drugs—"

Jeff shook his head before she could continue. "Coral, you can't change someone like that. He's always gonna do that if that's the first thing he ran to do. I think for right now though, the important thing to do is hope that he didn't use the cocaine and trashed it because I'm downright screwed if he did."

"I know, I thought if I didn't tell you, I could prolong whatever happens."

Jeff smiled a little. "Not the best thinking there."

As Coral went to respond, Jeff's cell phone began to ring. He gave her another, more apologetic smile and pulled it out. Coral watched as the color drained from his face. "What?" she demanded. "What is it?"

Jeff sighed. "It's… the clinic."

Coral's eyes widened in fear, knowing they had only been gone for a little over an hour. Just enough time for the doctors to test him positive for the drug. Jeff was screwed and she was a horrible person for allowing herself to believe Mike could be her fix to what was broken, when he was still shattered as well. Now she not only screwed herself, but she got Jeff into trouble.

"Hello?" Jeff asked into the phone, running a hand through his multi-colored hair. "Yes, this is Jeff Hardy. Oh, hi Dr. Benson. Right, no, it's okay… sure." He paused, seemingly listening. "WHAT? No, I don't… oh shit. Sorry, Dr. Benson. I just… uh, we'll come back to the clinic… right. I know, doctor. Okay. Bye."

Jeff hung up and pulled back onto the road without a word. Coral watched impatiently for a moment before asking, "What happened? What did the doctor say? What is going on Jeff?"

It took a moment for Jeff to look at her, sympathy in his eyes. "Coral, hunny, Dr. Benson, Mike's doctor just told me Mike is dead."

* * *

**A/N: Hmm, that's a pisser, right? Mike's dead... uh, oh. Find next what happens next in the next chapter... Okay, READ AND REVIEW AND UPDATE I SHALL!!**


	17. Broken pieces

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews! Bam! Bam! Bam! Enjoy the chapter! ;)

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen:**

Jeff watched as Coral Moore broke down in his car, her entire physique reminding him of a small child. Already small, watching her crumble into a ball only made her seem even minuter. Watching her sob, Jeff attempted to think of something good to say to help. He wasn't sure. Last time he remembered something that seemed to hurt that bad, his father had told him he needed to move on and be strong. He couldn't tell a young girl who seemed raised another way that.

Instead, he grabbed her by the shoulders and held her despite her attempts to scramble away at first. Soon she latched onto him, echoes of her sobs going in one ear and coming through the other even more painfully than the first.

They seemed to sit there for hours; however it was only a few minutes. Finally, Coral sat up, wiped her eyes and looked emotionlessly out at the road, her eyes partially glazed over.

"We need to go to the clinic," she said quietly, as if Jeff had forgotten somehow.

He only nodded, deciding talking wasn't the best thing to do. Instead, he started the engine and began to drive toward the clinic, his head low. Part of Jeff wondered why he even listened to Coral in the first place. If he had said no, been a rational adult like he was supposed to be, Mike would be alive. Maybe Coral wouldn't be speaking to him, but a life wouldn't be gone right then. Then again, who knew what could have happened if Coral hadn't seen Mike. Maybe her life would be the one gone. The truth was, no matter how much he wished to take his decision back, he couldn't and they both had to live with the consequences now.

Would his job find out? Of course they would. If the clinic blamed him for Mike's death, he would be put in jail or something similar. He'd lose his job and then every hater would get to say everything they'd been saying for a long time. All his fans would be confused, wondering who this Coral girl was and how he got involved with someone he didn't even know.

As if she read his mind, Coral whispered, "I'm sorry, Jeff."

He didn't look at her as he replied, "I know."

Silence refilled the car, leaving an uncomfortable ride for both of them until they arrived. And even when they did, they walked in quietly, seeing the nasty face of Jen and her almost gleeful eyes. Ben looked at them sadly, eyes full of sympathy.

"Dr. Benson wants to talk to you both," Ben said, motioning with one of his large arms to follow him. They did sullenly, not looking back.

Coral felt sick to her stomach, wishing she could have prevented Mike's death somehow. She didn't love Mike enough, maybe, didn't support him as much as he needed, even. Why did he have to die? She'd do anything to get him back, even be nice to everyone in North Carolina for the rest of her life. Possibly that was her punishment for acting like such a bitch to everyone. Lose the last person she could seemingly count on. Even that was a joke to her now. Mike went right back to the drugs as soon as he was given any freedom, so could she really have counted on him? A little voice in her head was saying softly, 'you would have never stood a chance over his addiction.' Of course, she knew this was true. She'd read about all of cocaine's effects on the body and its addiction on the mind too. She truly never did stand a chance, but still, she wished somehow she did.

It was agony for them both though, waiting in the dull-looking office of Dr. Benson's. And since neither seemed to want to talk, they sat in torturous silence, staring at the gray walls and numerous notes that filled them.

"Mr. Hardy." The drone-like voice of Dr. Benson said as he came into the room. "Coral."

Coral wondered how he knew her name, not remembering Jeff or herself saying it to the unkind doctor earlier. They both nodded, still unable to speak.

"As you're both aware, Mike is dead."

_Like we needed a fuckin' reminder_, Jeff thought bitterly, though he nodded again.

"And well… I'm afraid I'm extremely disappointed in myself for letting him outside today, past my better judgment. Look, before you both accuse me of being a heinous man; I understand why you wanted to take him out today. This program we have here, it isn't very fun, but it does work. We pride ourselves on that and it's definitely something we… well… work hard on. Sure, while here, the people inside are cut off from society, but sometimes its just the only thing that can save a person. But, I do see how it can suffocate some patients even further and I do believe Mike was experiencing that, which is why I let him out. If I would have known he would have… I wouldn't have let him out."

Jeff couldn't take the man's rambling much longer. "Listen, Dr. Benson, I'm aware of all of this, not to sound rude. I do know how much it is hurting Coral and how much I wished… I just need to know, how is this going to affect me? I know I'll probably have to go to jail or something for this, because it's well… my fault. I feel like a complete moron right now for trying to go against something a doctor said and—"

"Your fault??" the doctor asked.

"Yes," Jeff said quietly, "My fault."

Dr. Benson shook his head, looking briefly at Coral. "No, it wasn't your fault and that is why I'm not pressing charges. I think you both need to look at this." The doctor went into his desk and pulled out a slip of paper, handing it to Coral first.

She read it slowly, tears falling freely from her eyes again, her shoulders wavering up and down. "What does it say?" Jeff demanded softly as she dropped it on her lap. She looked briefly at Jeff and the doctor, tossed the note at Jeff, and ran from the room.

Deciding not to go after her, he picked up the note from the floor and began to read.

_To whoever gets this – _

_I can't take it anymore. I hate this place and I hate all the people in it. I can't take not seeing her and her words today made me realize what I have done. I have picked a drug over the one I love the most, the one who has always been there for me. I let the short-term good feeling inside me hide the hurt and I just… I can't take it. If she's not going to be here anymore, if she's finally given up on me, well I have no reason to go on. Maybe she's right. I'm an asshole. But I just wish she would have known that I didn't want to live that life anymore. She woke me up… but she doesn't want me anymore. It was too late, I guess. I wanted her to know how much I cared, how I cared more about her than the drugs, but she seems to love him now. Maybe not love him, but she's too pissed at me to care anymore. Maybe this is right. Maybe she's better off without me, since all I've ever caused her is pain. So… this is it. Funny this is how it happens… not even high. Just… well, do one thing for me, find her and call her up… just tell her I love her for me. It's all I ask._

_- Mike_

"He committed suicide?" Jeff choked out, unable to believe what he had just read. The doctor nodded. "He wasn't high…"

"We found the drugs in his pocket, but I don't think he was going to use them. The powder was wet… diluted somehow, probably with water. He ruined it." Taking the letter back from Jeff who was still wide-eyed, he sighed. "It's a true shame, but I don't think anything could have prevented this, Mr. Hardy. I'm sure taking him out was the last little string that needed to snap… but well… I just—"

Jeff stood up, shaking his head. "If there is nothing for me here to do, I'm gonna leave. I gotta find Coral."

The doctor gave Jeff a small, sad smile. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hardy. You're free to go. Just… well… take care of that girl, please."

Jeff nodded. "Right." With that, he left the room, feeling stranger than he had felt in a long time. Mike thought Coral wanted Jeff! He thought… oh it was just an entire mess in total.

Jeff found Coral crying behind a big oak tree, her hands tangled in her hair. She didn't respond to Jeff's touch or her name, only held still in her fetal position, crying loudly, her cries like moans, though Jeff could see the soaking on her shirt, alerting him of the tears. "C'mon, Coral. It's time to go home."

She didn't move. Finally, Jeff sighed once and picked up her tiny body, bringing her toward the car, not looking back.

* * *

**A/N: Think this chapter speaks for itself... Okay, READ AND REVIEW AND UPDATE I SHALL!!**


	18. A storm had been coming for a while

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Sorry for the very long wait of this chapter! Been so busy! I cannot WAIT for the summer! Thank you for the reviews. Hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter Eighteen:**

Jeff drove most of the way in silence. Coral seemed to be off in her own little world, staring out the window while quiet tears fell relentlessly from her eyes. Truthfully, he didn't know what to say to her. Anything he thought of didn't seem right? What do you say to someone? He spent most of the ride staring at her without purpose, always feeling the pain she felt momentarily.

It was nearly two in the morning by the time he reached the neighboring town of Vass, North Carolina. His body and mind were exhausted and he wanted nothing more to go home and sleep in bed with Beth. He felt like he hadn't seen her in ages. Between working and Coral's adventures it seemed like forever.

He was in Whispering Pines only fifteen minutes later. What would Shannon have to say? Jeff was sure he was getting the blame for this. As much as Shannon didn't want to admit it, he cared for Coral and this was going to make him angry… especially since he had predicted something would go wrong.

"No," Coral said suddenly, her voice hoarse. She peered up from her unmoving position and looked at Jeff with fear.

"What?"

"I don't want to go there," she said in a quiet voice. "I want to go to Matt's house with you."

"Coral, you need to go home."

"I don't have a home." Her words were like quiet ice. She looked up again, staring Jeff in the eye with those eyes like Shannon's. "But I feel at home with you. Please."

Jeff couldn't help but see the innocence in her eyes as she said this. He concerned how mad Shannon would be at him… but it truly didn't matter. If Coral was "happy" then it would cause less trouble later on, right? All he would have to do is call Shannon later and inform him of everything. It didn't matter if Shannon understood or not. Coral wasn't going to stay at Shannon's if Jeff brought her there anyway, so he'd rather have her safe at Matt's than wandering the streets late at night. Whispering Pines was relatively a safe town, but Jeff wasn't going to take any chances.

"Okay," he finally muttered. "We'll be there soon."

-

The next morning, Jeff awoke with a headache. He hadn't gone to bed until four, after having a very long and tiring conversation with Shannon on the phone. And like Jeff had predicted – Shannon wasn't happy. Also like Jeff predicted – there was nothing he could do. It still didn't stop Shannon from using every sinful word in the book though and accusing Jeff of things he didn't do.

Still, Jeff couldn't help but feel something was still off, other than the obvious with Coral and his newfound problems with Shannon.

He walked slowly down the stairs, hearing his back crack along the way. It had been a while since he had gotten to the gym and his always sore back was surely showing it. In the kitchen, he could hear Matt talking with Beth, both barely awake and neither a morning person.

"Mornin'," Jeff grumbled, reaching for a mug to fill with coffee.

Matt stared at Jeff with curiosity. "Long night?"

"You have no idea."

Matt's eyes rose. "What happened?"

Jeff leaned against the counter, pressing his lower back into it. He quickly explained the two day event in the shortest way possible. Both Matt and Beth's faces turned from shock to horror. "And she's here…" Matt muttered. "Why didn't she go to Shannon's?"

"Why do you think?"

Beth looked at Matt pointedly. "Matt, you have to be blind if you haven't noticed she's taken quite the liking to Jeff so far. He's the only one who she will talk to. I just say hi to her and suddenly I'm the biggest pain in her life!" Jeff couldn't help but notice the slight underlying tone of jealousy Beth had.

"She's just young and hurt," Jeff quickly replied. "I guess she relates to me."

"You're not young," Matt joked.

Jeff smiled slightly. "I don't know what she sees in me, but I think it is really good that she's found someone here she doesn't hate. If she hadn't… she'd be long gone by now."

"But what are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

Beth explained, "She can't live here. We'll be moving out soon and obviously, she hates Matt. I'm not dealing with a girl at my house everyday, Jeff. She has to go back to Shannon's sometime. We are not her parents and you aren't her guardian… she belongs at Shannon's place."

Jeff squirmed. He had wondered about this himself. "She'll go to Shannon's. If we have to make her, we will."

-

A little while later, Jeff made his way up to the guestroom he had placed Coral in the night before. He knocked once, not hearing anyone's response. So, instead, he pushed the door open slightly and looked inside. He froze, seeing the bed made and a note in the middle.

Quickly, he pushed open the door fully and picked up the note. And in loopy, girl handwriting, he read:

_You aren't forcing me anywhere. I'm not welcome here… so… I'll go out on my own. Don't come looking for more. You won't find me._

- Coral.

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**A/N: UH-OH! I smell trouble. Okay, READ AND REVIEW AND UPDATE I SHALL!!**


	19. I feel sick, I feel nervous

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** This chapter for the most part just came to me. And I believe it's golden. :D It's really... "wow"-worthy, you know? Hehehe. Anyway, thank you for the reviews... and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen:**

Jeff stared in disbelief for what seemed like forever. The paper in his hand didn't seem real, as if he was still asleep and was going to wake up any second, the letter from Coral a bad dream. It took him a minute to stop staring at the letter and slip it into his pocket. How was he going to explain _this_ to Shannon? With a sigh, he began to walk down the stairs, wondering what to do. Should he go looking for Coral, even if she didn't want to be found? Or should he just do what she wanted and let her be? Part of him just wanted to give up on her; the girl was damaged beyond belief. Was it really worth spending all his free time to help a girl who constantly ran away from her problems and the world? Yet, the other part of him knew he had brought himself into this mess and he had to help the girl out. Sure, it seemed a little out there, helping a girl he didn't know a month ago… but what could he do? He felt he had to help her; it was something he just had to do. Somehow, he felt that without him, Coral may have left a long time ago. Maybe if he could just find her and talk to her for a little while… maybe; just maybe he could finally talk some sense into her.

When he came back into the kitchen, he found Shannon Moore waiting; an anxious yet annoyed expression on his face. The others were gone, as if they knew a fight would be happening. "Where is she?" Shannon demanded, pointing one of his tattooed fingers at Jeff.

Jeff didn't know what to say. "She's well… she's just…"

"What?" Shannon snapped. "Where is she? I'm taking her back with me no matter what the fuck she feels like. I'm so fucking sick of this girl causing so much shit for all of us. She's got you wrapped around her damn finger and now some kid neither of us even knew is dead because of her. I want her gone!"

Jeff sighed. "She already is."

Shannon stopped mid-pace, looking up with curious green eyes. Anger still raged through them though. "What do you mean?"

The younger Hardy brother sighed, pulling the note from his pocket. Then, he smoothed it open, handing it to Shannon without looking him in the eye. He watched as Shannon quickly read it and tossed it on the counter, acting like he didn't even care. "Well…?"

"Well what?"

Jeff stared at Shannon. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing," Shannon said simply.

"_Nothing_?"

"Yeah, nothing. Jeff, she doesn't want to be found, so let her the fuck be. Quite frankly, I don't care anymore, so she can do what she wants. She can explain to the state why she isn't in my custody."

"You can't just let her disappear like this, Shan!" Jeff protested. "She's a young girl in a town she isn't aware of—"

"What does it matter to you?" Shannon roared back. "You know Jeff, this is crazy. She's done nothing but fuck our lives up. She's got you driving hundreds of miles just because she wants everyone to feel sorry for her. Well quite frankly, I'm fucking sick of it. I've tried being nice, I've tried being silent and I've come to the point where I wish she never entered my life!"

"Do you hear yourself right now?" Jeff asked softly.

Shannon nodded. "I do," he said in a cold tone. "Look, you can do what you want, Jeff. But in my eyes, she's no longer my problem."

"You can't just…"

"I can't?" Shannon asked. "You seem to forget, you've been on what can be considered the good end of the stick. Matt, Beth, and I have been treated like shit for no apparent reason. I'm not a bad person, Jeff. Sure, I've made my fair share of mistakes in life, sure I'm not the best person, but I do know I don't deserve her bitch antics. I don't deserve the way she treats me."

"Man, I never said that, but—"

"Why are you defending her?" Shannon asked suddenly, his eyes narrowing. "You've done everything she's asked… why?"

Jeff shrugged. "I feel like she's the little sister I've never had. She feels like family to me, I guess. You're like family to me… hell… I don't know. I see me in her. She needs help, Shan. More help than I can give her. She needs professional help and if everyone turns on her, she's just going to get worse. The girl needs someone to believe in her… someone who's not going to bail out on her in this life. You've just proved you're another person who's given up on her, Shan. You just showed that she's a lost cause. Do you want to give a young girl that feeling? Maybe she's not here now… but hostility can be felt in the strangest of ways. I for one… well I'm not going to give up on her just yet." Jeff brushed past Shannon, grabbing his keys. "I'm going looking for her, it's up to you if you want to follow me or not."

-

Jeff drove restlessly around Cameron, Vass, and Whispering Pines looking for any sign of the young blonde girl. He began to think maybe he should have listened to Coral… maybe she really didn't want to be found. What were the chances of seeing her on the streets anyway? It would make it too easy for Jeff to disobey her rules. Coral wasn't stupid… she wasn't going to make anyone's life easier, even Jeff's.

"Damn this girl," he growled, pulling down a side road that would eventually lead to Shannon's house. He was exhausted and sick of looking around him, coming up with nothing for over an hour.

So finally, he put the car in reverse and headed home. "Maybe I should have just listened," he murmured while he parked his car. He too noticed as he went up the front steps that both Shannon's and Matt's cars were missing.

"Hello?" Jeff called, opening the front door to Matt's house. "Anyone home?"

Attached to the back of the door, Jeff found a second note of the day. It was from Beth.

_Went with Matt to get Lucas' hair groomed. Be back later. :)_

_- Beth (and Matt)_

Jeff sighed while he crumbled the note in his palm. He was alone for the next few hours. Alone with Coral's safety and total wellbeing on his mind. The daredevil knew she was never going to leave his mind until he found her whereabouts. But what could he do? She obviously wasn't going to make it easy for him.

Instead, he decided to catch up with some TV, finding sleep just wasn't going to happen. After grabbing a soda, Jeff made his way into the living room, throwing himself down on the couch with a heavy sigh. The cushioning feeling wonderful to his still-aching back. It only took him a few minutes to grow drowsy.

It was then he heard it. The sound of a crash in the basement. _Did someone break in?_ Jeff feared. It was always a possibility when being a celebrity. A crazy fan could easily break in if they wanted to… that was what Jeff always feared. He stood slowly, hearing his back crack. Then, he made his way toward the stairs, seeing the basement light on. Frowning further, he continued quietly and slowly down the steps, careful so he didn't alert the person he was there.

Apparently, he wasn't quiet enough. There was a sound of scurrying as he came down the last few steps. He turned to his left, seeing nothing. Suddenly, it made sense. _Coral!_ How could he not have thought of her? Turning to his right, he came face to face with the young girl, who was obviously drunk. The smell hit his nostrils like a bag of bricks and even if the smell wasn't present, the appearance she held told him enough that she was indeed intoxicated.

"Coral," Jeff said with slight relief. "What are you doing?"

She cocked her head to the side, a slick smile coming onto her face. "I was surprised you actually went looking for me," she said in a tiny, slurred voice. "I didn't go very far."

He frowned. "You never left the house…?"

"It was the perfect plan, you know. I didn't expect it to work out in my favor."

"You're drunk," Jeff scolded. "What were you thinking?"

Coral shrugged, walking slowly behind the leather couch, pulling out a bottle of vodka, one Jeff knew Matt kept handy in the house for when he had guests over. "I don't know," she finally spoke. "I figured I'd have some fun. I didn't expect to hear what Shannon really thought upstairs today."

"He's just mad," Jeff was quick to reason. "He was worried."

"Please," she scoffed, her anger rising. "I took care of it though."

Jeff paused. "What do you mean 'you took care of it?'?"

She smiled. "Shannon doesn't have to worry about me anymore."

Something told Jeff _he_ on the other hand should worry. "Coral… where is Shannon?"

Coral smiled again. "Somewhere… don't worry about him, Jeff. It's not something we should be worrying about right now. Matt and Beth are gone… we're finally alone again. You know… you look fuckin' sexy right now."

He nearly choked on air. He was aware she was drunk… but what did that mean? "Coral, please. You're smashed. Maybe you should just lie down for a little bit and I'll wake you up then. You've had a stressful—"

"DO NOT TALK TO ME LIKE I'M A CHILD!" Coral snapped. "I've waited for this perfect moment for a while now."

He was beginning to become afraid. There was something about Coral he didn't like anymore… it seemed dangerous. Yet, before he could ask her another question, she fell to the ground, gasping for air. "Coral," Jeff said, fear rising. She began to cough, holding to the ground like a leech. And before he knew it, there was vomit all over. Jeff watched as she got to her feet, running up the stairs toward the bathroom. He followed slowly, unsure what to do. Something inside him told him not to trust her, she was not only still drunk, but unstable as is.

He followed the sounds of her retching in the toilet until he came up to the bathroom. Jeff stood there for a moment, still pondering what to do. "Coral," he finally said, careful with his tone. "Where is Shannon?"

Coral smiled, wiping her mouth. "Somewhere."

"Where is somewhere?" Jeff snapped. "Stop fucking playing games with me! Where _is_ he?"

Coral leaned against he sink, lurking her way toward Jeff. "You know, you're really hot when you're angry."

Jeff felt his stomach churn. "Coral, stop. Stop this right now!"

But she didn't. She came toward Jeff and despite his attempts to push her off him, she latched one of her hands in his hair, pulling him forward onto her. For such a small thing, she had a surprising amount of strength. Then, the bitter taste of bile mixed with the strong taste of alcohol fell onto his lips, as Coral's lips forced their way onto Jeff's. He struggled against her hold, but found it useless. She was like a stone wall – something you just can't move.

"Coral," he groaned.

She moaned in pleasure, taking his groan as one of pleasure as well, which was actually a plea to stop. It was a disgusting feeling that happened to be waving over him, one he wouldn't let happen…

"WHAT IS THIS?" another voice screeched.

Coral snapped up like magic. There stood Beth and Matt (Lucas in his arms), both of their jaws near the floor. "Beth it wasn't what it looked like," Jeff quickly said, shoving Coral out of the way. "She came onto me!"

Beth snickered. "Oh, yeah, okay." She stormed into the living room, tossing her bag on the floor. She shook her head, a string of profanities coming from her mouth. "I should have known! No wonder you're the only one she talks to! Look what she's getting out of it."

Jeff ran after her, shocked by her obviously distrust in him. Had they not been together for over ten years? Couldn't she at least hear him out? "No!" he protested. "I would never. I love you Beth. _Only_ you."

Beth shook her head, shoving Jeff from her view. "I'm going for a drive. If you know what's good for you, you won't follow me." Then, before Jeff could utter another word, Beth stormed from the house, leaving Jeff staring at a wall, wondering how ten minutes of his life could go so wrong.

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**A/N: That was LOOOONG. Anyway... I'm not saying anything else. I'm gonna let my writing speak for itself. :D Okay, READ AND REVIEW AND UPDATE I SHALL!!**


	20. These walls don't have any love for you

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Wow! Thank you SO much for the reviews I got for the last chapter. I didn't expect that many. I'm just glad people are reading this story! I must say though, unless a huge idea comes to me within the next few days, it's nearing it's end. I'd say three or four more chapters max. :( Which makes me sad since this has quickly become one of my favorites to write. Hmmm... other than that, I hope you enjoy the chapter! :)

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**Chapter Twenty:**

Jeff stood in the hallway as Beth stormed out, leaving the house with a very cold demeanor. He stared at the door for a while as if Beth would come back in with a smile on her face, as if it was all a joke. Was he dreaming somehow? Finally though, he backed away slowly from the hall and sat down on the couch with his head in his hands. He didn't care anymore if Coral was in danger. His feelings were mutual with Shannon's – the girl was crazy and he was sick of trying to help a lost cause with someone who obviously didn't want the help.

She made Beth believe he was cheating on her! How could Beth even let that sink in her head? He found her so much more beautiful than he would _ever_ find Coral. In fact, Coral seemed ugly suddenly, like she was some monster that was only hidden by face paint and hurting.

People hurt. It was just a thing of human nature. But he couldn't help Coral fix herself anymore. The girl was much too damaged for any normal person's help. She needed professional help, something that wouldn't send her to do the things she had done since moving in with Shannon.

"Jeff," Matt tried quietly. Jeff felt the couch sink a little as Matt sat next to him, but chose not to acknowledge him. There was a brief silence followed by a frustrated sigh from Matt's mouth. "Jeff… come on. Don't ignore me."

Jeff didn't care anymore. Why did he bother to help that slime of a girl? All she had done was cause him trouble! What was he going to do with Beth gone? She had always been his missing puzzle piece, the thing that kept him grounded when nothing else could. He had never deserved a woman as good as her and suddenly, when something wasn't even his fault… she was gone! There was just so much swirling in his head… what was he going to do?

"Jeff," Matt snapped, slapping his brother on the arm.

Jeff looked up tiredly, prepared to hear a lecture from his elder's mouth. Matt did this every-so often. Especially in the past when Jeff had screwed up with the WWE and had gotten himself suspended two times. Once when Jeff had been drunk and had said some pretty shameful things about Beth after they had an argument. But something told him that this was going to be the absolute worst. Matt knew what it felt like to be cheated on… he knew the pain all too well. He was going to be pissed that Jeff had "cheated" on Beth.

"What?"

Matt smiled slightly; glad finally it seemed that he had gotten his brother's attention. "Don't worry about Beth, she'll come around." He had to be starting off easily… where was the scolding Matt he happened to know all his life?

"Matt—"

"But it's going to take time. I don't think she's going to believe you for a while… I don't blame her for that. I mean, it makes sense when you think about it. Coral has only spoken to you with kindness… fuck… you know what I mean, but yeah. I can see why she mind believe what—"

"Matt—"

"—happened in the bathroom. But hey, it's obvious that it wasn't you who caused that. I actually thought it may happen for a while. The girl needs some help. I've been saying that since we picked her up from Georgia."

"Matt!"

Matt was startled by Jeff's sudden shout. "Huh?"

"You believe I didn't do it?" Jeff asked quietly, his voice like a child's who wasn't so sure about what to do.

Matt laughed. "Of course I do. I know you, bro. You wouldn't cheat on someone. You know, I have known you for all your life after all. Give me so credit."

Jeff hugged Matt before he could expect it. The younger Hardy was so glad to have someone in the house that believed him. "Thanks."

"No problem." Matt stood up, looking around him. "Where is the psycho bitch anyway?"

Jeff stood slowly, his back protesting. He scanned the house around him, listening intently for any noises that could link him to Coral. But all he heard back was silence. "I don't know," he finally admitted, "and somehow… that tells me we should worry."

What would Coral do now that she was shown in her true colors, her secret infatuation with Jeff Hardy? Would she go back to live with Shannon like she was supposed to? Or would she continue to try to make everyone's lives hell. Where was Shannon anyway?

Jeff thought for a moment about where Shannon could be. The words Coral spoke earlier haunted his mind. There was something wrong… he could feel it. Something told Jeff that Coral had done something to Shannon. The other part of him laughed – what a stupid thought.

Carefully though, he spoke in a low voice, "Matt, where was Shannon when you took Lucas to the groomers?"

Matt thought for a moment. "He told me he was going to wait for you to come back and try to talk about what to do with Coral. Seemed a little miffed actually. I don't know. Why?"

"I don't know where he is now."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Jeff, come on, it's Shan. When do we ever know where he is?"

But it wasn't a normal situation, Jeff knew. "Was he here when you left?"

"Mhm," Matt said, still not catching on.

"Fuck!" Jeff spat and looked around him. Quickly, he explained what had happened between him and Coral before Matt had come in with Beth. How she was drunk and everything seemed to be very shady. And of course, the Shannon factor.

"Do you think she did something to him?" Matt inquired. "Come on, Jeff. Think about it. She's what, four-eleven? She couldn't do anything to him."

"Call him then," Jeff pressed on. "Please… I just don't like this at all."

Matt sighed and pulled out his cell phone, keeping his eyes on Jeff partly while he scrolled to Shannon's cell number. Then, he put the phone to his ear and waited for the voice of the older Moore's voice to answer. It rang until it came to voicemail, which happened to startle Matt as well. Shannon always answered his cell unless he was wrestling. "Hey, Shan, it's Matt. Look, Coral's gotten a little out of hand here and we sort of need you right now. Don't know why you're not picking up the phone, but as soon as you get this message, call us back."

The phone was placed on the table while Jeff stared out at the woods without any emotion. He felt so betrayed by a girl he thought would be a friend to him. "I can't believe it's come to this," he muttered.

Matt sighed again and leaned against his dark blue counter. "She needs help," Matt agreed softly. "I didn't think she would let it go as far as this either. I suspected she liked you, but how many other girls are infatuated with you, Jeff? I mean who has the balls to go right out and kiss you while they knew you were taken?"

"Someone who doesn't give a damn."

Matt chuckled darkly. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense." There was a brief silence before Matt asked, "If Coral did do something to Shannon… what do you think she did?"

Jeff shrugged when he turned to face his brother, his eyes slightly haunted. The taste of alcohol was still heavy on his lips. Never before did he expect the usually refreshing taste of it to seem so bile-like on his lips.

"Maybe we should just ask her. She was drunk before after all."

"She's not going to tell us anything, Matt."

"And why is that?"

"Because if she's here right now she's heard everything we've said already and she isn't going to like it."

Matt slammed his hand down on the table. "Well I don't happen to give a fuck if she's heard everything we've said. If she did something to her own brother then I'll happily welcome her to come out of whatever room she's eavesdropping from and ask her myself what the fuck she's done. This bitch – yes, Coral, I just called you a bitch – is done getting the high treatment. As far as I'm concerned, she's below just about everyone on my friend's list."

The house sat quietly after Matt's angered words. It even seemed a little dazed by them. Then, there was a soft, bitter chuckle from somewhere behind him. Matt flipped around to see the haunted, livid, green eyes of Coral. She smiled darkly at him while he stared back, unsure what to say. "I knew there was a reason I never liked you," she muttered.

"Yeah, well consider the feeling mutual," Matt spat.

Coral rolled her eyes, dismissing his large and angry posture. "Hi Jeff."

"Don't try to even talk to me," Jeff replied in a tone like Matt's before he turned his back on the girl.

Coral chuckled again. "Jeez, the audacity you have."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jeff's curiosity got the better of him.

"Oh, nothing."

The sing-song in her voice made Jeff annoyed as he turned to face her seemingly carefree face. It was eerie to know less than twenty-four hours before her face was one that was pouring out tears, completely broken. Something inside of the girl had snapped… either that, or she was a very good actress. It seemed that Mike's death was the last thing on her mind.

"What did you mean," Jeff growled. "Stop fucking playing games, Coral. I'm not playing with you."

Coral leaned against the counter as the room began to reek of the mixture of vomit and vodka. She didn't seem to care about the heated words that came toward her. Instead, her mind seemed to be off in another world. Then, her head turned slowly toward Jeff. "You speak so passionately about where Shannon is but you also seem so quick to point the blame at me. If you really wanted to know where he was… I don't know, you'd think you'd be more kind to me."

Her words made no sense to Jeff. If she had nothing to do with Shannon's so-called disappearance why would he need to be nice to her? "Unless you seriously want me to rip your head off," Jeff said in a carefully tight voice, "I suggest you quit making up these diversions and tell me what the fuck you're talking about."

She laughed humorlessly again, clicking her tongue. "Patience, Jeff. Patience is key."

"Don't fucking give me that!" Jeff roared. "Listen, you little bitch. I have done nothing but be nice to you since your little hurricane came through these doors. I've done everything you've asked me and quite frankly, I didn't have to. Most people wouldn't have done that. I think I deserve a little more respect than you're giving me."

"Whatever." But he had seemed to hit a nerve with her. The little front she had put up seemed to waver just a little.

"No," Jeff said firmly. "It's not whatever. I want to know what you've done and why you've done it. That means everything. From the beginning. And it starts _now._"

* * *

**A/N: Again, I'm going to let my writing speak for it's self. Okay, READ AND REVIEW AND UPDATE I SHALL!!**


	21. His weakness was he cared too much

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Thanks SOO much for the reviews! You know I love them. Okay, so I lied. After this chapter I'm posting now, there is only one chapter left... I know, I'm sad too. :( I've grown attached to this story. Hmm... not much else to say. Enjoy!

* * *

** Chapter Twenty-One:**

Any affable feelings Coral ever had toward Jeff seemed far away at that point. She looked briefly at him like she didn't care—which she didn't—and then looked down at her nails. Beside her, she could hear the infuriated breath escaping Jeff's mouth.

"Coral," he tried carefully once more while Matt just stared on vapidly, "I'm going to ask one more time—"

"God, just shut up!"

Jeff's mouth snapped shut for some odd reason. Coral turned to Jeff, pointing her thin finger nails at him while she glared heavily. "Yes, I did something to Shannon. No, I'm not going to tell you what. Yes, you should worry. No, you're not going to find out, so don't bother asking. Yes, I think you look damn right sexy right now. It's a shame that you're such a tenacious person like your brother and Shannon. Maybe we could have worked out otherwise."

Jeff chuckled warningly. "I would never even consider dating a freak like you. Incase that delusional little head of yours hasn't noticed, I'm more than happily taken by the most beautiful woman on this earth."

"You call me the freak," she taunted right back, her posture staying still. "I do remember saying you saw you in me. Gee, wouldn't that make you a freak too, then, Jeff?"

She had a way of twisting his words against him each time she spoke. Why couldn't he see how evil she was? Was she even related to Shannon? Bile rose in his throat the more he thought about each time he helped her. Now, Shannon was missing and he had no idea where he was. She said she did something to him. What did that mean? Was it just a sick joke of hers? She didn't honestly run away, so many Shannon was just locked in a room somewhere. Jeff wouldn't put it past her. But, there was just something so disturbing about the look in her emerald eyes, something that told Jeff not only did he have to worry about Shannon, but himself and Matt too.

"Where is Shannon?" Matt spoke suddenly. It was the first time he had spoken in ten minutes. "Tell me where he is you little—"

"Didn't we just go over this?"

Matt snarled back at her. There seemed there was nothing to do to get this girl to cooperate. They could threaten and yell at her all they wanted but she was just as stubborn as the Hardy Boys herself. What if Shannon was hurt though? What if it was a life or death situation?

"You two are seriously ridiculous," she muttered, walking toward the back door and staring out at the gray-skied day. Her breath left a fog of condensation on the glass. Her fingers were quick to draw a square and a triangle. Then, just before their eyes, it disappeared.

Fear swept Jeff suddenly. If she had hurt her own brother, it wouldn't surprise him if somehow she had planned something for Beth too. Jeff turned to Matt. "Whose car did you take this morning?"

Matt shrugged, his eyes keen on Coral's quiet behavior. "Mine. Why?"

More anxiety traced through Jeff as he stomped up to Coral and grabbed her by the back of her shirt. There was a brief struggle between the two, but Coral quickly lost, being overpowered by the adrenaline rushed and fuming Jeff. "Did you do something to Beth's car?"

Coral laughed in an indifferent tone. "No… but that would have been a good idea."

He didn't know if he should believe her. He also didn't let her go. Instead, he took her by the wrist and began to forcefully put more and more pressure on her wrist bone. Coral ignored the increasing pain at first but it was evident that the more power he put into it, the more she struggled to not cry out. Finally, her puzzled, demented eyes shot up. "What are you doing?" she asked weakly.

Jeff gave her a twisted smile while he licked his lips. "You caused many pain here. I'm just returning the favor."

More muscle released from his fingers. She resisted once more. "Stop it! It hurts!"

From behind him, Matt watched with intrigue. "It does?" Jeff asked lightly. "Oh dear… maybe you know how it feels now. Maybe you've seen what you've done. Don't you think I had to feel pain each time you roped me into your fucked up scheme?"

"I don't care! Let go of me."

"No," Jeff spewed. "Tell me where Shannon is."

"NO!"

He was hoping she would… what would it take? Would she still hold the truth inside while he broke her bones? Suddenly, Matt came up beside him, studying the door. "Let her go," he said quietly.

Jeff looked up Matt with a shocked expression. "Why?"

Matt touched the glass, tracing the place Coral's fingers had been not too long ago. "I think I know where Shannon is. Let her go."

Jeff immediately released Coral, causing her to fall to the ground. "Where is he?" Jeff demanded of Matt. Matt pointed to the smudges of her fingertips. They formed a cartoon drawing of a house. "Did you leave the keys to the new house here any time in the past few days?"

The color drained from Jeff's face while he nodded. "I did."

Coral didn't seem to care what they were speaking about as they stared down at her. Finally, Matt spoke, "Let's go."

Soon enough, Matt and Jeff were jogging through the woods that connected the properties of Matt and Jeff's. "I thought you said she didn't leave the house," Matt said while they ran.

"She lies… but I think you're right."

Matt nodded. Was Shannon hurt? He wouldn't put it past Coral. Then, he nearly felt himself double-over when he saw what was on the ground. "Look," Matt gasped while he pointed. On the ground, was a trail of blood droppings.

"Fuck."

Matt nodded and began to pick up his pace again. He could see the Jeff's new house, the one yet to be finished as they broke into the next clearing in the woods. Nothing seemed out of place, but it didn't need to be. "We don't have the keys," Matt realized.

Jeff smiled slightly. "We've broken windows before."

Matt smiled back. He loved his brother more than anything and sometimes, he couldn't help but think they shared a very similar mind. They jogged right up to the house, shaking the doorknob to find it locked. "Go to the back window," Jeff whispered. "I'll keep an eye out for Coral. Open the front door when you get in."

Matt nodded and ran toward the back of the house. Quickly, he found a large stone and thrust it into one of the newly added windows of Jeff's house. Glass shattered on the ground, leaving sparkling pieces for the little bit of sun to catch. Then, he hoisted himself over the wood and fell in, barely getting a scratch on him. "Just like when we were kids," he marveled quietly and than ran for the front door.

Jeff came in quickly as Matt unlocked it. It was quickly relocked as they scanned the bottom floor. "He's not in any of the rooms here," Jeff said quickly. "Let's try upstairs."

The problem was, the upstairs portion of Jeff's house was not yet fully finished and still very unsafe. It took careful moving and slow breathing to make their way up there. It was simple enough then as another blood trail picked up.

Then, Jeff saw him. The body of Shannon Moore lay in a heap toward the edge of a room. There was blood on the back of his head and his hands, feet, and mouth were gagged or roped tightly. "Shit," Matt moaned as he carefully walked over. He put one hand on the side of Shannon's neck, as he couldn't tell if he was breathing. But there was a pulse. "Help me untie him."

Jeff sprung into action. "I'll do it. Call the police and ask for an ambulance, okay?"

Matt nodded and Jeff got back to work. He slowly loosened the ropes that bound the unconscious Shannon as Matt slipped down the stairs to call for help. Then, he poured the hair which covered Shannon's face out of the way and took out the bandana which was gagging him. It smelled like that chemical he had read about being used so many times in mysteries. Where did she get it? In fact, Jeff didn't want to know.

Slowly, Jeff checked Shannon for anymore visible injuries, finding none. Yet, he didn't want to move him and instead stood up, careful still on the shaky second floor. That was when he heard the sound of a thud and a few profanities slipping from Matt's mouth.

"Matt?" Jeff asked quietly.

He looked down the steps, seeing nothing. Frowning at whatever his brother had done, he walked down the steps and looked around. His brother was a heap on the floor, just below the window.

Then, there was a chuckle. "Don't move or you'll be next."

Jeff turned to see Coral behind him, a large knife in her hands. She was making her way up the steps, eyes determined. He followed anyway, though his heart told him to check on his brother. "What are you doing?" he asked softly. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because none of you understand," she said softly. "None of you ever do."

"I tried," Jeff responded. "I did."

"No, you didn't. You thought you could give me some bull stories about when you were younger. Well, it doesn't work. I'm sorry. Now, if you excuse me, I'm getting out of here before the police come." Jeff frowned as he made his way down the steps after her, especially not letting her go off without getting caught.

He was shocked as she turned around quickly and put the knife dangerously close to his heart. "You really thought I was going to let you go scot-free too, huh?"

Jeff shook. "Think about what you're doing, Coral."

She laughed. "Oh, I have."

That's when he saw Beth, coming up behind the girl. Slowly, just slowly enough so Coral didn't notice, he inched away. "We could have been so happy," Coral said slowly. "A really cute couple too but you wouldn't just let me be with you!"

"I love Beth," Jeff said, saying it strongly enough so Beth heard too. She looked up briefly and smiled. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry is never good enough." The words were cold… so cold. And just as Coral went to dive on Jeff, Beth instead got a hold of her, swinging her toward the first floor. Coral tumbled down and crashed, the knife swinging far away. The blow seemed to knock her out.

"Are you okay?" Beth breathed, running up to Jeff.

"Fine," he answered back. "What are you doing here? How did you know?"

"I never really left," she admitted quietly. "I heard everything you said and I knew that she'd follow you guys. I couldn't leave you guys without a back-up plan."

Jeff smiled. "I love you."

Suddenly, Beth seemed ashamed. "And I love you too. I should have known you'd never cheat on me."

Before Jeff could answer, two wonderful sounds were heard. "Ew," Matt muttered while he limped toward them, blood trailing down one of his legs. The other was a siren and the lights coming toward the house. Matt opened the door, ushering them inside. Almost instantly after Matt and Shannon were loaded onto ambulances, Coral was handcuffed.

"It's over," Jeff said quietly as they walked back to Matt's house to drive to the hospital. Hopefully both Shannon and Matt would be fine. "It's actually over."

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**A/N: Whoa, right?! I thought so myself. :) Yay Beth! Boo Coral! What will happen in the last chapter?! Okay, READ AND REVIEW AND UPDATE I SHALL!!**


	22. An end to the madness

_**Disclaimer:** _I own nadaaa! :)  
**A/N:** Eeee!!! Thanks so much for all those reviews. I am so happy, lol. And HERE IT IS! THE LAST CHAPTER OF HATRED. :( I'm kinda sad now, lol. I really love this story. I have some ideas for a sequel, but at the moment, I'm not all that sure. I'll post another chapter of this saying so if I decide to make one though. Anyway, thank you all for reading this story and I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Hatred is Thicker Than Blood! :D

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**Chapter Twenty-Two:**

Jeff had spent the past four hours in the hospital, waiting to hear about the conditions of Matt and Shannon. It didn't seem too bad for Matt – who had been stabbed in the leg by Coral – but Shannon had remained unconscious for hours now and though he seemed to be breathing easily on his own and his vitals looked good, no one was sure what would happen once he woke up. An injury to the head could always be dangerous. Concussions weren't a good thing to have and Jeff had heard a rare horror story about people falling into comas once in a while. Then again, how hard could Coral have got him?

"I really want to go home," Matt grumbled beside of Jeff, a large bandage and stitching on his right leg. He looked like a child as he pouted heavily, staring into the night.

"We have to go to the police after this," Jeff reminded him in a tired voice.

Matt groaned. "I want to sleep."

"Later." Jeff couldn't get all the faults he had made in the past months out of his head. Why did he trust Coral? Why did he allow himself to believe that what he was doing was going to help her in the long run? How come everything he did happened to make her stay worse instead of better? Could there have been some way that the ending could have been any different? Could Coral and Shannon somehow had been a happy family? The question would go unanswered. It made Jeff sad. Such a young, pretty woman was now in trouble with the law. She could have gone on to have such a good life, but with what she's done, she's going to go to jail probably. _Such a shame_, Jeff thought sadly.

"Mr. Hardy," a doctor suddenly said. Both Hardy's head's snapped up at the name and stood quickly. "Hello boys. I'd like to inform you that Mr. Moore is awake and alert. We're running a few more tests, but everything seems to be okay… he'll have some bad headaches for a while and the bruising on his wrists and legs will hurt, but there are things like Advil for that."

The doctor smiled as Matt and Jeff exchanged a happy glance. "Can we see him?"

"Of course." Then, the doctor walked away, quickly going to another patient's waiters, possibly.

"Well," Matt started lowly, "At least Shannon is okay."

"Right," Jeff muttered, though his mind was still on Coral. Why did it have to be that way? He just couldn't get over it.

They walked (or limped in Matt's case) slowly toward the room that Shannon was in. The day had calmed and the storm was over… but at what cost? Everything seemed broken. Not only had Coral made a mess for herself, but she left behind more shambles of what once was the Carolina Crew.

"What do you think is going to happen once Shannon gets out of here?"

Jeff peered up. "What?"

"When Shannon gets out of here… what do you think will happen? With Coral, that is. Shannon is her legal guardian. Think he'll send her back to Atlanta? I don't want her at my damn house, that's for sure."

"Matt, she's not going back to that house. I don't know what the fuck's gonna happen, but I can assure you, she's not coming back to any house around here." Jeff shook his head. It was a shame… such a shame. So much potential only to fall. "Come on… let's go see Shannon."

-

"So, this is what they're going to do?" Matt asked as Shannon signed the last of the papers at the clinic's office. Matt and Shannon stood in psychiatric ward where Coral would be spending a good amount of her time. Over the last month, she had been deemed as bi-polar, among other things and was in desperate need of help. So, Shannon had searched for the best hospital in the state and out of his own pocket, paid for her to be treated there.

Something told both Matt and Jeff that even though he wouldn't admit it and even though he swore she was a 'crazy bitch', maybe somewhere inside of him, the sibling instinct had set in. Both the brothers knew that even if claimed to 'hate' her, Coral was still his half-sister and there would always be a part of him that knew she was his flesh and blood. Therefore, he had to take care of her. Like his father would have wanted.

Shannon turned as the woman behind the desk took the papers he signed and sighed. Then, he frowned. "Hey… where did Jeff go?"

Matt shrugged. "Maybe to go smoke a cigarette?"

-

Jeff walked slowly down the hallway, careful not to disturb anyone. He knew he wasn't supposed to be back there, but there was a nagging part of him that would not let him leave the hospital without seeing Coral for one last time before she began her treatment. Sure, he had seen her from a distance over the last month, but he had never been close enough to _really_ see her.

He found the name 'Moore' on the door rather quickly. And before anyone could see him, he ducked in and closed the door.

She was staring at the ceiling, her eyes covered in tears. "Coral," he spoke softly.

The young girl looked, but didn't say a word. She only stared at him without any expression.

"Coral," he tried again. "Look, I just wanted to tell you something. I know some words were said and a lot of shit happened, but I just wanted you to know this. You are a beautiful young girl and though I'm not attracted to you the way you thought I was, I do consider you a friend. You have problems, Coral. You need to get help with those problems. Unfortunately, it's come to drastic measures. But you'll get better and you'll lead a normal life someday, I know it. Please, just get better."

Coral looked away, as if she hadn't heard anything at all. Jeff sighed and stood, knowing he had tried his best. And just before he got to the door, he heard his name being called. Slowly, he faced the other Moore. "Thank you," she whispered hoarsely, "for everything you've done."

Jeff nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat and then exited the room. Minutes later, he came face to face with Matt and Shannon. "Where did you go?" Matt demanded.

"Bathroom." A white lie wasn't going to hurt anyone. Matt or Shannon didn't need to know.

"Oh, okay. We're ready… you ready to leave?"

Jeff took one last look at the direction of Coral's room and nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

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**A/N: Well... that's all folks. Let me know what you thought of the story and all that good stuff. Thank you again! :)**


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